Ghost of a Good Thing
by digitalprints
Summary: Every important change that affect our lives start with a very small beginning. For Gabriella Montez, it all started in her mother's bathroom with a tiny little embryo and a pregnancy test.
1. The Sharp Hint of New Tears

_AN:_ Seems like my muse is working overtime lately coz' I found myself writing a story, not just a one-shot this time. I never really thought I'd write anything, much less have several one-shots done in a span of a few days. Anyways, with this story, its going to be no more than ten chapters long. The plot is pretty much an overused one but I decided to give said cliche plot a try. Insert my own take on it so I hope its not too bad. This is just a prologue-of sorts so its not that long really. The way I'm writing these days, expect an update every week, hopefully. Enjoy!

_Disclaimer:_ I don't own anything.

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**The Sharp Hint of New Tears**

_New York – March 17, 2008_

Annie Dominguez was eager to finish checking up on her patients so she could go home to her kids. Carefully opening the door to her last destination before ending her shift, Annie quietly peeks inside the room and sees her favorite patients. A mother and child sleeping on the twin bed as the father (or who she thinks is the father) reclined on the adjacent chair. As soon as the father looks up from the papers he is reading and sends her a questioning stare with his lucent green eyes, Annie holds up a piece of paper to which he responds by pointing at the bed side table. Annie, as silently as she could, sets the paper on the table and leaves the room, but not before staring back again at the occupants of the bed.

The young mother, who could not have been more than nineteen, was one of the sweetest girl she has ever met, second only to her own children of course. Arriving at the hospital the night prior, the young woman, holding on to her pregnancy bag with one hand and clutching her stomach with the other, was calm and collected despite the painful contractions she's experiencing. Annie was more than impressed and intrigued by the girl's unruffled composure. Intrigue soon turned into interest and Annie soon found herself helping the young woman into a wheelchair, asking her how far apart her contractions were and providing the necessary paper work for her temporary stay in the hospital. Sixteen hours later, a bouncing baby boy, weighing seven pounds and 2 ounces, was born. It has been said, time and time again by every new mother out there, that their child is the most beautiful baby they've ever seen and it would certainly be an understatement to call this new baby as beautiful for his cherubic face topped with dark brown curls to his bright blue eyes, the child definitely was one of the cutest baby Annie has seen and unquestionably the loudest - wailing so loud that even the young mother and Annie herself were surprised upon hearing it. Soon after both the mother and child were settled back into their room, Annie cautiously brought up the issue of the missing father and before she could even get an answer, a young man appeared, tousled and disheveled in appearance, hurrying inside the room and awe-ing at the little boy in the young mother's arms. As inconspicuously as she could, Annie left the room to give the family some privacy, the same way she was leaving the room now to head home.

As the door closes, a gush a wind from the open window blows the paper out of bed side table, landing near the chair where the man was sitting down. He picks up the paper and looks at it, seeing, in big bold letters: **Certificate of Live Birth** and underneath, the name _Tyler Alexander Montez_. Giving the paper one last glance, he places it back on the table and leaves, in the same fashion as the nurse earlier left the room.

* * *

_New York – March 17, 2013 (present time)_

"Ry, you don't have to help me clean up. You've done enough."

"It's the least I can do. You have been slaving away all day in the kitchen making your adequate brownies, which by the way, are sorely lacking in chocola-… Hey, I did say they were adequate", Ryan replied while brushing off some of the chocolate chips that I threw at him.

"Adequate, my ass. If they were that adequate, how come you're still munching off them, huh?" I retorted back.

"Ok, ok, they're fabulous. But seriously, Gabs, at least let me help you. Cause this place looks like it has been hit by a tornado."

Looking around, I do have to admit that Ryan had a point. The living room, earlier looking amazing with all the birthday decorations, is now looking like a battle ground. Scraps of torn wrapping papers are littered about and countless of plastic plates and cups sit on top of the coffee and side tables, not to mention the stacks of toys that can be seen in every corner of the room. Sending Ryan a helpless glance, I start to pick up the trash and place them in the garbage bag I was carrying around. He did the same, taking care of the kitchen while I tackled the living room.

After what seemed like forever, but only a few hours in reality, Ryan and I finally put the loft in order. Going back into the kitchen to finally sate my grumbling stomach, Ryan joined me as I cut a piece of cake for myself.

"That was some party… I mean, that was a five year old boy's dream party. You definitely pulled out all the stops with this one. I mean, the Transformer's theme and the kick ass cake, Ty loved every minute of it." Ryan commented as he stole some of my cake.

Whacking his arm to stop him from eating the cake, I replied, "He's been badgering me for months and I figured with all the things that happened this year, Tyler deserved it."

Six months ago, my mother died of cancer. And considering that she and Tyler had been pretty close, my son took it pretty hard when I told him that he'll never see Grandma again. I don't know if he truly understands the concept of death but he's gradually getting used to the fact that Grandma doesn't visit anymore. As for me, I would have broken down had it not been for my baby boy. He needed me to be strong for him so the months following my mom's death, while Tyler was asleep, I would cry and reminisce about my past until I was exhausted enough to sleep. Waking up everyday and having reality set in that my mom was gone was hard but it's getting better.

"Hey…. It's going to be okay. You know I'm here for you and Tyler, always."

Sending him a grateful smile, I stand up and head towards the sink to wash the remaining dishes.

"Got an interesting call yesterday."

"Interesting? How so?" he asks.

"Your sister left a message… Had me wondering how she got my number." I replied while stealing a glance at him.

He looks up and he had this guilty look on his face as he said, "Well, remember that time when I visited her for the weekend… She kinda got hold of my phone without my knowing and before I knew it, she was asking me how I got you number and if the Gabriella in my phone was indeed 'the elusive Gabriella Montez' as she calls you now. I was gonna tell you but it must have slipped my mind…"

"Its okay, Ryan. It was just shocking when I first heard her voice demanding me to call her back, just like how she was back then." My forlorn tone must have been quite noticeable because before I knew it, Ryan was hugging me and trying to stop me from crying.

"I miss them you know. Especially at night when I put Tyler to sleep. He looks just like his father. Sometimes, when he would look right at me with his bright blue eyes, its just… it just reminds me of him and it hurts like hell, Ry. It hurts…."

And that's how Sharpay Evans walks in on us. With me wrapped around Ryan, sobbing incessantly on his shoulder.

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Comments? Suggestions? Nothing too harsh, I hope.


	2. The Good Fight

_AN: _Thanks to everyone who reviewed. It means a lot to me. Umm, I just wanted to address one tiny detail, some have commented on the young man who was with Gabriella in the very first part of Chapter One, if you actually look closely -hintfirstparagraphhint- you'll be able to know the true identity of said young man. And to clarify, **this is a Troyella fic**. So no worries about Ryella - its only friendship between the two. And, finals are coming up so the next update might come in a week or two. I already started writing the the third chapter so hopefully, the next update will not take too long. Anyways, on with the story...

_Disclaimer_: As usual, I don't own anything.

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**The Good Fight**

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?"

"Sharpay?" both Ryan and I ask at the same time but with varying tones; his surprised while mine was incredulous.

For a few minutes, no one said anything. Sharpay looks at us with obvious disgust, Ryan looks back at Sharpay in disbelief while I stand there, frozen and immobile, trying to digest the fact that Sharpay Evans, whom I haven't seen in almost six years, is actually standing in my kitchen.

Finally, Ryan asks, "What are you doing here?"

Putting some distance between me and Ryan, I lean back against the counter, wipe away some of my tears and start to massage my temple. Just standing there, watching Ryan and Sharpay glare at each other, I feel the beginnings of a headache slowly forming. Tired from all the chaos of Tyler's birthday festivities and now Sharpay's unexpected visit, I did not have enough energy to deal with anymore drama today.

"Remember, my or should I say our birthday this weekend? I wanted to surprise you considering you always fly to Albuquerque every year. And now I know why. You wanted to hide your precious little affair with Miss Montez here."

"Don't you dare talk to her like that! And how did you get here?" Ryan angrily replies.

"How else? The taxi of course…. Oh, don't look at me like that. Don't tell me you've lost all your sense of humor while living in New York?" Sharpay says with a smirk, "It wasn't that hard. I went to your apartment, found out you weren't there and asked your bell man. Kind old man that bell man was. He was nice enough to tell me that you left to visit a '_certain Gabriella like he always does_' and he even gave me the address. I was curious of course, seeing as I saw her number on your phone the last time and ta da, here I am."

Sharpay, now looking disinterested with her conversation with Ryan, looks at me. And boy, the memories of high school start flooding back. The same intimidating glare. The same proud stance that just screams 'I am better than you'. The same annoying smirk. After all these years, despite being friends with her, I feel like I was transported back in high school with some jock mocking me because I was the freaky math girl.

"So, how long has this been going on?" Pointing between Ryan and I, she asks.

"Nothing is going on between us Shar." Ryan answers.

"Oh, right, because that cozy little scene that I just stumbled upon didn't happen," Looking at me, she raises an eyebrow and says, "And what are you, mute or something? Can't speak for yourself now?"

I hear Ryan exclaim, "Sharpay".

She looks at Ryan innocently and tilts her head slightly, "What?"

Once again, both of them started glaring at each other. Oh, good times. Note sarcasm here. Every time the Evans siblings get into these glaring contests, it takes awhile before anything is resolved. Both Sharpay and Ryan can glare with the best of em'. Deciding to cut this short, I ask, "Why are you here Sharpay?"

She looks at me haughtily and responds, "I already told you, I came here for Ryan. Finally seeing you was just an added bonus. So this is where you've cooped up for the last few years," she looks around the loft, "Cozy. A little tiny and homey for my taste but then again, we've always had different taste, Gabriella."

"We're leaving Gabs. I'll see you later." He gives me a hug and takes a hold of Sharpay's arm, "Let's go."

"Would you stop manhandling me? I can walk by myself and I'm not leaving. She -" Sharpay points her perfectly manicured finger at me, "has a lot of explaining to do."

"Sharpay, I'm serious. We are leaving, _now_."

"No. And don't talk to me like I'm three, Ryan. We can leave now but you know I'll just come back. I know her address and phone number now. It is not like she can just pack up and leave again like she did six years ago."

My head is throbbing. Exhausted from the whole day's event, I can barely stand up. And Sharpay's jabs aren't helping my headache one bit. Giving Ryan a helpless glance, I direct Sharpay towards the living room. She immediately makes herself comfortable in my sofa while I take a seat at one of the love seats.

"Do you want anything to drink Sharpay?" I ask her politely, holding at least some decorum in this now tense environment.

"I'm not here to chit chat Gabriella. In fact, I don't even care about you right now. All I want to know is one thing. Just one. Why?"

To say that her words hurt are an understatement. I know my abrupt departure from Albuquerque is going to hurt several people. I knew the consequences of my actions but to actually experience the anger and hatred face to face is a little hard to take. Especially since I never expected this. But I should have known this was coming. Sooner or later, someone was bound to discover that I still had contact with one of them.

Taking a glance at Tyler's room, I detect no movement whatsoever. Might as well finish this confrontation with Sharpay now before my baby wakes up.

"You left with no note. Nothing… oh wait, how stupid of me. You did leave a note. '_I'm sorry. Gabriella_'. You couldn't even tell us personally that you were leaving. We come to your house only to see boxes everywhere. No sign of you or your mother. Just a bunch of movers who looked at us like we were stupid idiots when they told us that you already left. Two years, Gabriella, we've known each other for two years, I at least deserved an explanation, a goodbye and a hug even. Not a three word note. I – we deserved more than that."

By the time she ended her rant, she was up and about, pacing back and front in my living room and waving her arms around angrily.

Looking at the fireplace mantle that held so much of Tyler's pictures, I utter, "I was pregnant," I looked at Sharpay and confidently repeat, "I was pregnant."

She stumbles back, as if the impact of my words literally pushed her back. For the first few minutes, no one says anything. Ryan, standing behind the sofa, is looking uncomfortable. Sharpay, still shocked, just sits there. And I, well, I am still nursing that headache of mine. Just as I was about to head to the bathroom to get some aspirin, Sharpay jumps up and looks at Ryan, "You, you got her pregnant?"

"What!" Both Ryan and I exclaim "No." I guess I understand where she got that idea from but to think that she thought I cheated on Troy back then is ridiculous - and it stings like hell.

Sharpay stands up again and this time, I see her take a second good look at my loft. I see her observe her surroundings a little more closely and a particular picture frame must have caught her attention. Walking to it, she picks up a picture of Tyler – three years old at the time – wearing a basketball jersey that was two sizes too big for his tiny frame and holding onto a basketball stuffed toy.

Still holding on the picture frame, she looks back at me and whisper, "Troy. You were pregnant with Troy's baby and you left. You were pregnant and you left. You were pregnant." I see she was still in shock over that particular revelation.

"Why didn't you tell us? Why didn't you tell Troy?"

"I had my reasons Sharpay."

"What kind of reasons? You and Troy were perfect for each other. He wouldn't have left you because you were pregnant. He would have stayed."

"You don't know the whole story Sharpay."

"Why don't you enlighten me then."

I am so not ready to think about the past again. It is bad enough that Sharpay is here and confronting me but to actually revisit that particular event is something I don't think I'll ever be ready to tell.

Ryan must have sensed my inner struggle because before I knew it, he was able to herald Sharpay out of the door – she was protesting and struggling of course – and with a repentant "I'm really sorry, Gabs" from Ryan and a loud "I'll be back" from Sharpay, the Evans twins were gone.

Lying down on the couch, I close my eyes and hoped that when I wake up, the last thirty minutes was just a figment of my very cruel imagination.

* * *

Slipping into the stage between waking and sleeping, I awoke up from my slumber only to find my baby sitting on top of me, patting my cheeks ever so gently. Whenever Tyler wakes up before me, he has this habit of patting my cheeks with his little chubby fingers until I finally wake up. Any other rambunctious toddler would just scream and jump on top of their parents but not my Tyler.

Tyler Alexander Montez is born on March 17, 2008. He is the perfect mixture of Troy and I with his lucent blue eyes that is in great contrast with his black mop of a hair. He's very outgoing but reserved at times. And I'm happy to say that he takes after his mother in the intelligence department. Smart and cute, my boy is going to break hearts someday.

"Mama," pat, "Mama," another pat.

I keep my eyes closed while trying to keep myself from breaking out into a smile.

"Mama, no lie. Wakey, wakey." He pokes my cheeks this time and slowly catches on to my ploy. He starts bouncing and singing "Mama, mama" over and over again.

I slowly take a peek and my brilliant baby boy catches that tiny movement.

"Mama, Ty knows your up. I see the eyes." By this time, I fully open my eyes and starts laughing.

"No fair", he pouts and folds his arms over his chest – trying to imitate a serious Ryan – and failing miserably.

"Awww, did I hurt my poor baby? What can I do to make it better huh? Chocolate chip pancake or maybe some strawberry waffles? What do you say, you forgive mommy?"

Tyler grins his cheesy but very adorable little smile and furiously nods his head. "Tyler hungry," he exclaims.

"Well, down you go, buster. Mommy needs to go the kitchen."

He runs ahead of me, heading to the kitchen, giggling all the way.

"Tyler, be careful. You don't want to slip and fall do you?" I call out.

"Na uh Mama." I hear his footsteps slow down and several chairs move in the kitchen.

As Tyler and I begin to work on breakfast, I almost forget about the incident yesterday until I manage to catch a glimpse of Ryan's gift to Tyler lying on the kichen island countertop. Memories of yesterday start coming back and I wince. I guess its time to face the music. Six years is a long time to keep all this to myself and knowing Sharpay, she would have already told the rest of the gang about Tyler. I was so not looking forward to that encounter with Troy. Was I even ready? Was he even ready?

I was jolted out of my reverie when Tyler starts violently mixing the pancake mix. Before I can even manage to prevent any mishaps, the bowl he was holding onto flips over, and my son is now covered with powdered pancake mix all over.

I laugh out loud while Tyler just stands atop one of the chairs glaring at me. He is about to say something but upon opening his mouth, white powder blows all over and I double in laughter once again.

I guess I can just deal with Troy and Sharpay when they come. Right now, a little boy is glowering at me and it is high time for breakfast to be served in this household.

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Comments? Reviews are always lovely.


	3. If You Can't Leave It Be

_**Important**__** AN**:_ I am deeply sorry for the long wait. Life happened and with thesis papers, finals and several car accidents, not to mention I'm working two jobs now, I had too much on my plate and finishing this chapter wasn't really high on my priority list. And I'm not going to lie; I wasn't really inspired to write. No motivation and the reviews or lack thereof didn't help either. Was the last chapter _that_ bad? At the moment, I am contemplating on whether or not to put this story on hold. If it sucks that much, I really don't want to put my time and effort into a story that no one really likes, I guess. Having said that, I have started writing the next chapter and oddly enough, Chapter 5 is already done. Chapter 4 is just proving to be a biyatch, haha. So um, I guess we'll see what happens. Enjoy, this is really where the story unfolds and guess what, Troy makes an appearance, finally. 

If it helps, this is the longest chapter I've ever written (almost 13 pages in MS Word) so I hope it kinda makes up for the lack of updates.

And a special shout out to Mckenzie (i love alex) and to ibelieveintruelove for inspiring me to start writing again.

_Disclaimer_: I own nothing.

_Italics_ - flashback

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**If You Can't Leave It Be…**

It is already late afternoon when Ryan and Sharpay return. Tyler is in the living room, sitting on the floor and idly coloring one of his picture books while I am in my office, working on the account ledgers for the bookstore. The door bell rings and I hear my son's hurried footsteps lead towards the front door.

"Tyler, what did I tell you about answering the…?" I shout as leave my office and knowing that whatever caution I was about to say is in vain when I hear an exuberant "Uncle Ryan" followed by "Tyke, been a good boy for mommy?".

Upon reaching the foyer, I see Ryan holding Tyler, twirling him about while Sharpay closes the door all the while staring oddly at the scene before her.

"Hey Gabs." Ryan says as he puts Tyler down.

"Hey. There are some leftover brownies in the kitchen." I reply back. Ryan's always been a sucker for my mom's brownies.

Rubbing his stomach, he grins and says, "Oh, you know me too well."

Ryan heads towards the kitchen and it is just the three of us standing there in the foyer. I look at Sharpay and see that she is still staring at Tyler. I forgot that she has never seen him in person before. My son, being the playful child that he is, thought that he is in a staring contest and so, he stares right back at her. This goes on for a minute or so until Sharpay is seemingly jolted out of her reverie.

"Ha, I win, Auntie Sharpay." Tyler enthusiastically declares while he jumps up and down. "Mama, I win."

I smile at his exuberance.

Ryan comes up behind me, munching on some brownies and states, "That you did, little tyke. You sure showed Auntie Sharpay."

Pointing at Tyler, Sharpay looks at me and inquires, "He knows me?"

Talking it as his cue, Ryan announces, "Now would be a good time to leave", he walks to Tyler and asks, "What do you say about going to the park, Ty?"

"Can I, Mama?", he asks while tugging at my pants, "Can I go to the park with Uncle Ryan?"

I smile and nod. He laughs and heads straight to the front door. I remind him to bring his jacket and he barrels to his room, shouting "Wait for me, Uncle Ryan" and comes back in seconds with his mini basketball and jacket in tow.

Shortly, after both Ryan and Tyler have left, I herald Sharpay to the living room. She takes a seat at the couch and she hasn't even been in the house for five minutes before she starts with the barrage of questions.

Pointing towards the door, "So, he knows about me?" She asks again.

Taking a seat in front of her, I just nod my head.

"What does he exactly know, Gabriella?"

"He knows about all of you. He knows that Troy is his father. He knows that you're Ryan's sister. He knows enough." I shrug my shoulders, "I couldn't very well lie to him when he flat out asked me."

Raising one eyebrow, she exclaims, "Oh, but you can very well lie to his father and to your friends, huh?"

"Sharpay…" I am so not in the mood for a bitter and unpleasant conversation with East High's once reigning Ice Queen – a title that Sharpay oddly enough, adored.

"No. I've waited long enough. I mean, I could have come here very early in the morning but I was considerate enough to wait till late afternoon."

Considerate, my ass. The girl would be knocking down the door the minute she woke up had it not been for Ryan, I'm sure.

She continues, "I am not leaving until I get my questions answered. You left without a word and after six years, I find out that you and Troy have son. I need answers. You owe me at least that much."

"I'll tell you everything. I'll tell you everything that happened _after_ I left but I'm not saying anything about why I left Albuquerque or any events prior to my leaving. I'll leave that for when I tell Troy. It's the least I can do for him."

"So you are telling Troy?"

Smirking, I reply, "Knowing you, you would have posed an ultimatum by the time our conversation ended. So yes, I am telling Troy soon."

I see her make herself more comfortable in my sofa. "Six years without a word. And then to see your number on Ryan's cell phone, I was shocked. Hell, I still am. Six years is a long time, Gabriella."

Panicked, she adds, "Please tell me that Ryan didn't know about your pregnancy when you left?"

"No. No one knew except for my mom."

"Well, I guess since you want to leave a few things a secret for now, I guess you can start by explaining how Ryan fit into all this."

Leaning back and sighing, I begin to tell her how I accidentally met Ryan all those years ago.

* * *

"So, where do you want to go, tyke. The jungle gym? The swings? The monkey-"

"Basketball"

"Of course. Like father, like son. I should have known. Come on then."

I lead Tyler to the basketball court nearby. From his perfect little head to his adorable little toes; Tyler is an exact replica of Troy Bolton, minus that sandy blonde hair. His dark brown curls are the only ones he got from Gabriella, that and his brains. Heck, the boy can recite the fifty states without batting an eye at an early age of three. At four, he can name all the presidents of the United States. But despite being a freaking genius, every now and then, he does something that reminds me wholly of Troy. Tyler is a sensation when it comes to basketball, something I'm sure Troy would be very proud of. And he's got a very playful persona to balance out his serious and brainy characteristics. The boy sure is a good mix of East High's once beloved couple.

Running ahead of me, Tyler reaches the basketball court and immediately befriends all the other kids already playing. I take a seat at the bench in close proximity to the court and watches Tyler with a careful eye. Like his father, Tyler always manages to get himself into trouble, one way or another without even really trying, much to Gabriella's displeasure.

If there's one thing I've learned these past years watching Tyler grow up, it is that Gabriella is a mother hen, in every sense of the word. She fusses over anything and everything when it comes to her son. She tends to be really protective of Tyler, to the point that it is sometimes suffocating. But the boy loves it. He is, after all, a mama's boy through and through.

"Uncle Ryan, look." I hear Tyler shout. I look at him and see Tyler make a free throw shot.

Smiling, I shout back, "Good job, tyke."

There are times when I baby sit Tyler that I feel guilty that it is me, and not Troy that is sharing these moments with the boy. Times like these, when I watch him play basketball, one thing that I'm sure would lead to a father and son bonding time had Troy been here are when I feel really guilty the most.

When Gabriella left all those years ago, I never thought that I would see her again. She left so unexpectedly, in such a hurried fashion that it left all of us wondering why she left the way she did.

I suggested that Maria Montez might have transferred again, a likely reason considering her occupation. The suggestion was rebuffed by a worried and bemused Troy who mumbled something along the lines of his and Gabriella's moms discussing renovation plans for the Montez household.

Zeke put forth that Gabriella just might have left early to start getting ready for Yale. Everyone looked at him weirdly after that to which he responded, "Just throwing it out there."

Taylor proposed that the unforeseen departure might have something to do with Gabriella's father, an idea that was quickly shot down by a then slightly irritated Troy who, as he angrily puts it, "Peter Matthews' only contribution to the Montez family is his sperm. That's it!" Considering no one really knew the real relationship or lack thereof apparently between Gabriella and her father, things got a little tense after that which prompted Chad to playfully suggest that Gabriella might have left because she got knocked up. His hopes of alleviating the tension failed horribly. So horribly in fact that instead of lightening the mood, he only intensified it. Everyone's mind just went from one crazy notion to another.

_For a moment, the six Wildcats, Troy, Ryan, Chad, Zeke, Taylor and Sharpay contemplated the possibility of a pregnant Gabriella before simultaneously speaking at once._

"_Nah."_

"_Gabriella isn't that stupid to just leave like that."_

"_We were safe."_

"_I was only joking, you guys."_

"_What kind of suggestion is that?"_

"_Hmm, maybe you're on to something…"_

_Five pairs of eyes immediately face Sharpay._

"_What? Condoms and birth controls don't always work. They are only -"_

"_Are you really serious, Sharpay?" Troy tensely asks._

_She shrugs her shoulder and says, "Well, we have to consider all possibilities…"_

"_I was only joking about the pregnancy comment. You know, to lighten the mood." Chad pipes._

"_And besides, this is Gabriella Montez we are talking about here. She's rational and reasonable and just leaving like that isn't something Gabi would do." Taylor sensibly adds._

"_Unless…" _

_Irritated, Troy remarks, "Unless, what Sharpay? Unless she thought that I didn't want the baby – if there is even one? Coz' we have already talked about our future, marriage and kids, the whole works."_

_It is common knowledge among the group – heck, even the whole East High student body knows – that what Troy and Gabriella have isn't just a puppy love kind of relationship. What they have is a "happily-ever after" kind of relationship but it still comes as a surprise to the gang when Troy revealed the full extent and gravity of their relationship._

"_Stupid idea, Sharpay."_

"_Hey, you're the one who brought up the pregnancy bit, idiot."_

"_I was only joking." Chad says while stomping his feet like a three year old trying to prove his point._

_Ryan looks pointedly at Sharpay and Chad before asking, "Okay, enough about the pregnancy. Any other __**rational **__ideas?"_

_For the longest time, no one says anything. All six friends just stand in front of the Montez household – or what used to be the Montez household (A _**For Sale**_ sign seemingly glares at the them) looking at each other helplessly. And it is at that moment that it really sinks in that Gabriella Montez is gone._

Life moved on. And we moved on as well, as best at we could. Thankfully, college was upon us which took our minds off Gabriella's departure. It took awhile before things went back to normal. We found out that Gabriella didn't go to Yale and she didn't defer her admission either. We found out that Maria Montez did indeed get a job transfer – where, they wouldn't say. The mother and daughter duo basically dropped off the face of the planet.

After that, no one really brought up the subject of Gabriella's leaving. The matter was such a sore topic, especially for Troy and Taylor who took it the hardest. It took weeks for Taylor to visit the library again without bursting into tears, for as she says, "The library was Gabi's and mine's sanctuary". It took months for Troy to stop cringing whenever Gabriella's name is uttered. But every now and then, you would see him with this faraway look on his face and you knew that what he was thinking at that moment was something Gabriella-related.

On the outside, we tried to act indifferent when it comes to Gabriella – thinking that by doing so, letting go of the hurt would be easier and moving on would be possible. But deep inside, most of us were hoping that Gabriella's sudden departure was just a figment of our imaginations and that one of these days, she'll come back with a very reasonable excuse. But alas, six years have passed and still no Gabriella.

Troy and Chad went to University of Albuquerque with their basketball scholarships and came out with degrees in business financing and film, respectively. Zeke and Taylor headed off to California, where Zeke pursued his culinary dreams while Taylor with her medical aspirations found herself in USC. Sharpay and I headed off to New York where she attended Julliard and I, NYU.

After college, most of us found our way back to Albuquerque. Zeke opened up his own restaurant slash bakery, now a very popular hang out among the teens. Chad is the head of one of New Mexico's broadcasting company and Troy is a junior executive at a financing corporation and a part-time assistant coach to the East High Wildcats alongside Coach Bolton. Taylor is still pursuing her PhD in Boston and Sharpay jets back and forth from Los Angeles and New York doing some showbiz stuff and what not. As for me, I stayed in New York, auditioning for Broadway on my spare time but fully concentrating on my job as a creative director in one of the city's performing arts center.

For the last six years, our lives might have moved on but with Sharpay's discovery of Gabriella's whereabouts and Tyler's existence, it seems like that the lives of Troy Bolton and the rest of the gang are off to a huge and surprising awakening – and an unpleasant and jarring one at that.

"Uncle Ryan, I'm hungry."

"Again? Didn't' you just have a mid-afternoon snack before we left?"

Tyler looks at me seriously and says, "I'm a growing boy, Uncle Ryan. I need nourishment, sustenance and-"

"How old are you again?"

"Five."

"…going on thirty."

Hearing his stomach grumble, I say, "Okay tyke. How about we visit that hot dog stand I saw on the way into the park huh?"

I didn't even finish my sentence before I see Tyler running off to the aforementioned hot dog stand.

"Don't run so fast, Tyler." I shout.

"Hey, Ryan."

Whirling around, I see none other than Troy Bolton heading my way.

Yup, we are bound for a very huge awakening indeed.

* * *

"So, are you telling me that while working at a bookstore a few blocks away from NYU, Ryan happened to walk in one day?"

Sipping my green tea, I nod my head.

"And upon seeing him, you bolted out of there?"

Setting my drink down, I say, "No. The second time he came in, I bolted. The first time, I just stood there like an imbecile, right in the middle a transaction with a customer. It was so embarrassing."

"How far along were you again?"

"Six months pregnant. I am forever thankful that the cashier's table is pretty high so it hid my burgeoning belly."

"Why'd you bolt the second time then?" Sharpay ask.

"Well, I wasn't manning the register that time. I was stocking some shelves so I had no table to hide my pregnant body. Ryan was heading right at me and so I dropped the books I was stocking and made a dash for the book cart." I grimace, "And by running off, it was more like waddling so Ryan inevitably caught up with him – not that he would have any trouble considering how 'fast' I ran. And immediately after seeing my belly, he stood there like a statue and mumbled something about," sending Sharpay a questioning glance, "Chad being right."

She just waves her hands as if dismissing the subject but she has that look in her eye that tells me that she definitely knows what the Chad comment is all about.

Sharpay leans back against the couch and huffs, "I can't believe Ryan didn't say anything all this time. We might not have the closest sibling relationship in the world but we never kept a secret from one another."

Frowning, "Well, I kind of threatened Ryan and I did start crying."

Everyone knows that Ryan is a sucker for tears. He is pretty much a goner once the girl starts bawling.

"Pretty manipulative of you, I like it." She says with a grin.

I grin back.

"For what its worth, Sharpay, Ryan hated lying to you guys. He tried to convince me time and time again to come clean and say something." I sigh, "I hated putting him in that position but at that time, I didn't think that telling Troy or any of you for that matter is going to do any good."

"You have no idea how much your sudden disappearance hurt us, Gabriella. I'm not even going to sugar coat how miserable you made Troy and Taylor."

The slightly jovial atmosphere immediately turns somber.

"I'm sorry."

"I think it's a little late for that, Gabriella. Six years too late."

I never realized how much my leaving would affect the rest of the gang. I expected that they would be mad at me for leaving the way I did. I expected that they would lash out at me and hate me even. But hearing those words come out of Sharpay's lips, an unexpected twinge of pain washes over me.

Looking away, I murmur, "I can't take the last six years back. I did what I thought was best and I am deeply sorry, more than you'll ever realize, for causing you guys any pain." Tears are now rolling down my cheeks and I hurriedly wipe them away.

"I was there you know, at the opening night of _Spring Awakening_. You were amazing. Not that I expected anything less from you." I hesitantly smile. "You have no idea how much I wanted to call you and Taylor when something major happens."

"Were you ever going to tell us about Tyler?" She asks.

"I don't know."

"What do you mean, you don't know?" Standing up, she scoffs, "You were going to live on your life while Troy is back home oblivious to the fact that he has a son. A son, for god sakes."

"And what, tell him now and disrupt his life?"

"Please, don't feed me that bull. You're scared of telling Troy. If I hadn't come along, you would have never told Troy. You were going to take the easy way out like you've been doing for the last six years…"

Standing up to Sharpay, I angrily retort, "You have no right to talk to me like that."

"And you have no right to hide Tyler away from his father." She retorts back.

We stand there, in the middle of the living room, glaring at each other.

I sigh. "I'm going to tell Troy, Sharpay."

"You better. You've caused him enough pain as it is and I don't want to be the one tell him that for the last six years, he has a son living in New York."

She picks up her purse and says, "Either way, Troy is going to know and it's better if it comes from you. Like you said, its the least you can do. You have a week and if by then you haven't told him, I won't hesitate to do it for you."

And with that, Sharpay storms out of the house, slamming the door in her wake.

I bitterly smile as I realize that she did, in fact, end the conversation with an ultimatum.

* * *

"Troy. What a surprise. What brings you here?" Oh, boy, this is not going to be good.

"I had some business conference and meetings this weekend…" He says and continues on to describe his plans while in New York.

I just nod my head and say the occasional "hmm" in the appropriate areas.

Taking a discreet glance at Tyler who is boisterously conversing with the hot dog stand vendor, I breathe a sigh of relief. Having Tyler and Troy in the same vicinity is bad enough, having the father and son pair meet each other for the first time would just be a catastrophe.

Now, how do I politely ask Troy to leave without letting him see Tyler and sounding too rude.

"So, who's the kid?"

I spoke too soon.

"What kid?" Maybe he's just referring to some random kid playing in the –

Pointing at the hot dog stand, Troy says, "That particular kid."

"Umm, just some kid that I'm babysitting this afternoon. You know me, always ready to lend a helping hand." I laugh awkwardly.

_Nice going, Ryan. Way to make it obvious._ I admonish myself.

Troy raises an eyebrow.

"Do I know the mother? He seems familiar somehow?" He asks, still looking at Tyler's direction.

"Well, you know what they say, once you've seen one kid, you've seen em' all."

_What? I did not just say that._

"Huh, never heard that one before." He sends me a quizzical look.

I awkwardly laugh some more.

At the corner of my eye, I see Tyler point at the hot dog and a second later, points at me. Considering that he needs the money it wouldn't be long before he would come barreling towards me. As predicted, I begin to panic when Tyler starts heading my way.

"Uncle Ryan, I need some money for the hot dog." He shouts while running.

Upon hearing Tyler's voice, Troy looks in the hot dog stand's direction and I see him take a good look at his son.

Tyler keeps running towards me.

And Troy keeps looking at his son.

This is not good. Not good at all.

* * *

I'm not really satisfied with this chapter but I did get everything I needed to include in here and I've made you guys wait long enough so I just decided to post this now. And like I've said before, I'm having a hard time writing Chapter 4. But I'm slowly getting there. I'm halfway done so I'm hoping that in a week or two, I can post the next chapter. Hopefully... I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Anyways, comments? Suggestions? Reviews are always love. :)


	4. Might As Well Make It Bleed

_AN: _Thanks to everyone who reviewed. It means a lot to me and again, special kudos to ibelieveintruelove.

Anyways, lots of drama on this one. The angst writer in me totally enjoyed writing this despite that fact that finishing this fourth chapter was a pain in the behind. I had a lot to put in the chapter but after writing it, I just hated the end result. This went through tons of revisions and rewrites and even now, I'm still not a fan. Actually, in the first draft of this chapter, Troy actually confronts Gabriella and it is revealed why Gabriella left Troy but I just didn't like putting all the drama in one long chapter so I decided to move it to the next chapter.

The shit really hits the fan on this one and a good dose of swearing from a certain Troy Bolton… enjoy.

_Disclaimer:_ As usual, I own nothing.

_Italics - flashbacks_

* * *

… **Might As Well Make It Bleed**

_Don't panic. No need to panic. _

"Uncle Ryaaaaan."

That boy just keeps on running.

_Damn. Damn. Damn. Damn. I'm so dead. _

"Troy?" I try calling his name to take his attention away from the boisterous five year coming our way. "Troy?"

"Troy?!?" I try again.

_Dead. Dead. Dead. _

"Troy!" He turns around.

Huh, finally he turns around. Wait, I didn't call him that last time.

I look ahead and see blonde middle-aged guy wearing a business suit power walking towards Troy, looking stressed and haggard.

"Troy, thank god I finally found you. I've been looking everywhere. They moved up the meeting which means that we are officially," he takes a look at his watch and continues, "eighteen minutes late. Not that it matters since I own the damn company but we need to go."

Troy just stands there and then looks back at a now distracted Tyler who is playing with a dog.

"Now, Troy!" The man bellows.

"Coming Gerard. No need to put your panties in a bunch." Troy retorts.

Looking peeved, Gerard starts heading out of the park.

Troy sends me one of his boyish grins, one his trademarks that made every teenage girl back in our high school days swoon, and says, "Duty calls. We should meet up for dinner with your sister later. I'll call you." I see him hesitate for a second and take one last look at Tyler. Slightly shaking his head, he absently waves goodbye and jogs off to catch up with a peeved Gerard who is impatiently waiting by the gates, tapping his feet intolerantly.

Once Troy is out of sight, I immediately hurry to Tyler's side and send a prayer to the gods along the way for preventing a very disastrous first meeting from happening.

"Uncle Ryan, is Mama allergic to dogs?" Tyler immediately asks me when I come to stand next to him.

He is still playing with the dog – a golden retriever if I'm not mistaken and I cringe when I see the dog slobber all over Tyler's cheek. The dog's owner profusely apologizes and tries to restrain his dog but Tyler's giggles stops him. He shrugs his shoulder and sends me a rueful glance. I just smile in return.

"I don't think so buddy." I distractedly reply, looking for the baby wipes that Gabriella always packs in Tyler's 'outing back'.

Finding the pack, I take it out and I give one to Tyler so he could wipe his dog germ-infested cheek.

Taking the baby wipe, he looks up at me with his adorable blue eyes and says, "Do you think Mama will get me one?"

"If you ask nicely, maybe."

He slightly frowns but continues to play with the dog.

Kneeling at Tyler's level, I look him in the eye and conspiratorially whisper, "Lemme tell you a little secret, your mom is a sucker for your big blue eyes and pout. So when you ask, enlarge those eyes of yours and extend your lower lip a little… just like that. Pout some more… yeah, your Mom's a goner."

He looks at me with that puppy dog eyes of his and sends me a heart melting pout.

"Goner, no question about it."

Tyler's pout transforms into a big smile and he goes back to playing with the dog.

"So, you're corrupting my son now?"

I turn around and see Gabriella standing behind me, arms crossed trying to look stern but the mirth in her eyes gives her away.

Putting my hands up in mock defense, I counter, "Hey, its all him" and nods my head towards the boy in question's direction.

"Mama!"

Tyler runs up to Gabriella and she picks him up and kisses his cheek.

Pointing at the dog, he exclaims, "Can I get one Mama? Can I? Can I?"

Pausing, Gabriella looks at the dog and takes her time answering.

"Mama?"

She shakes her head and is about to open her mouth to answer when I see Tyler's lips begin to quiver and his eyes moisten. He sends his mother the infamous puppy-dog eye look and Gabriella's resolve start to crumble.

She takes another glance at the dog and says, "I'll think about it."

Tyler's lower lip extends a little bit more. He tilts his head to the side and bats his eyes for a good measure.

Gabriella bites her lower lip and slowly says, "Ah, uh, well-" she rolls her eyes and sighs, "fine. We'll go to a pound and adopt one."

He plants a big one on her cheek and literally whoops.

Smirking, I comment, "Atta boy."

Gabriella glares at me and I just shrug my shoulders.

"Oh, look at the time" pointing at my watch, "I need to get to rehearsals." I pat Tyler's head, send Gabriella a smile and runs out of the park.

On my way out, I hear Tyler ask, "Can we go now, Mama? Can we get a dog now?"

"Have you always been this stubborn and persistent?"

Their voices fade into the distance but it was loud enough for me to hear Tyler jubilantly exclaim, "After we get our dog, can I show him to Papa?"

"What?!?"

_Oh ooh. _

* * *

In an office building a few blocks away, Troy Bolton is trying to hold his annoyance in check while half-heartedly listening to his colleagues discuss the latest mergers and budget reports.

Because of this, Troy barely catches the end of Gerard's spiel about increasing the company's efficiency "…centralizing certain treasury operations makes sound business sense, hell, it's the our best bet given the situation but determining the appropriate procedures and even carrying out the authorization requires a hell lot of planning. Right, Troy?"

Troy just absently nods his head in agreement but Gerard's warning glare prompts him to add, "I mean, of course. If we want to enhance our corporate control, we have to take into consideration centralization. Once we centralize our company's banking structure, we can at least cut down on borrowing and even get a better handle on the cash flows of our business."

Gerard smiles proudly at Troy and continues on to explain the many benefits of centralization.

Troy's mind, on the other hand returns back to a certain brown-haired boy that Ryan is looking after. For the last few minutes, since Gerard and Troy joined the meeting, all he can think about is the little boy endearingly playing with the golden retriever in the park. There is nothing special about the boy, really. Troy would like to think that he could pass him on the street and not even be bothered but a part of him knows that something about the boy just sent warning signs ringing around him. As if meeting the boy is something that is meant to happen.

It has been awhile since he's thought of Gabriella Montez. In fact, every time a memory involving that particular ex-girlfriend of his (not that they officially broke up) comes up, he tries his hardest to suppress the memory – failing time and time again because as much as he hated to admit it, despite the hurt and anguish Gabriella's departure left in its wake, he cherishes those moments. And now, seeing that little boy brings so many memories – most, if not all of em' involve Gabriella somehow. Maybe it's because his dark brown curls remind him of Gabriella's hair. Or maybe it's his smile that sends his mind overdrive with recollections of a laughing Gabriella. And for some unexplainable reason, despite the distance, Troy is more than willing to bet that the boy's eyes are blue. There is just something about him that captures Troy's attention – a sense of recognition that sweeps over him the minute he first lays eyes on the boy Ryan is babysitting.

Perhaps he's one of those boys he has seen in the commercials. Considering Ryan's line of work, it wouldn't be surprising if he babysits a struggling actress' son.

"Troy?"

Or maybe what Ryan said is true, that 'once you've seen a kid, you've seen em' all'. Troy inwardly scoffs at that.

Louder this time, "Troy?"

I mean, he has seen his fair share of blue-eyed, brown haired children so what is it about this boy that has piqued his interest to the point that for the first time ever, he isn't paying attention in a meeting.

"Troy Bolton?!?"

"Huh?" Troy blinks several times before realizing that the once occupied conference room is now empty, leaving only him and Gerard.

Rolling his eyes, Gerard remarks, "The meeting's over. Not that you would have noticed considering for the last half hour or so, you've zoned out and has totally been staring off into the distance."

Troy rubs his neck and sheepishly replies, "Sorry. I just got a lot on my mind right now."

"This is why you need to take a little vacation, my boy. You work 24/7 and if you're not in the office, you're at East High, making plays and strategies with your dad" Closing his briefcase, Gerard continues, "You need a break – a much needed one at that."

Sighing, "I'm perfectly fine."

"You are working yourself to death, Troy. I mean, your determination and perseverance are one of the things that I admire about you. Even as an intern for my company years ago, you went above and beyond your normal duties. That's how you earned your right as my protégé and successor for this company. But you are no use to me sick and dead from exhaustion."

Troy smiles and replies, "Forty-five is not that old, you've still got many years ahead of you before we actually start considering successors and all that. And besides, I'm only twenty four, Gerard. You've got years of mentoring and training before I'm ready to take over the company."

"Huh, this is the first time you've acknowledged your future position in my company."

"Well, with you reminding me every minute, it is not that hard to forget", Troy pauses and then says, "But are you sure? I mean, you have more experienced employees that can take over for your company, Gerard."

"But none of them are you. You remind me of myself and as much as I hate to say this, at your age, you've displayed talent in this business that I've only managed to master in my late twenties. I couldn't imagine handing my company to anyone else, my boy. Now what do you say about heading out of here?"

Troy smiles and shakes his head, "Let's go then."

"By the way, I'm serious about that vacation, Troy."

"Gerard -"

"In fact, it's a mandate. You are taking a vacation, per the request of your boss, effective as of this minute."

Before Troy could protest, Gerard sends him a pointed glare and Troy knew that he would only waste his breath from complaining.

"Fine", Troy says, "But I'm only taking a week off. That's it."

"I was only giving you the weekend off since I thought you would start complaining if I gave you a week but if you want a week, then a week it is." Smiling, Gerard leaves the room.

"No no no, the weekend is fine. Let's stick to a weekend vacation."

Gerard just laughs, "No, you are getting a week."

Smacking his forehead, Troy just follows Gerard out of the room and contemplates how to get of the week long vacation he found himself in.

* * *

Putting Tyler on the ground, I ask, "Ty, what do you mean about showing Papa the dog?"

Distracted, he replies, "Well, I saw Papa talking to Uncle Ryan", not realizing the magnitude of the situation, Tyler continues on to say, "Mama, I'm still hungry."

_That bitch. I can't believe she already told Troy. _

Tyler tugs at my jeans and pulls me along to the hotdog stand. I absentmindedly follow.

_Geez, calm down, Gabriella. You only talked to Sharpay like an hour ago. There is no way that Troy could fly from Albuquerque to New York in such a short time. _

"Baby, did you talk to Daddy?"

He shakes his head no.

I take an inward sigh of relief.

"Three please."

Looking ahead, I see Tyler already by the hotdog stand and ordering.

"Oh, wait, Mister", he looks at me and ask, "Mama, do you want one too?"

I tell him no and the vendor hands my son the three hotdogs. Troy would be proud to know that not only does his son excel in basketball; he's got the famous Bolton appetite down to a pat. I take my wallet out and hand over the cash while Tyler struggles to hold onto two of the hotdogs while eating the other.

Smiling, I take the other hotdog and say, "What do I always say, Ty?"

Mid-bite, he answers, "Never speak with your mouth full."

"No."

Momentarily forgetting his hotdog, he thinks for a moment.

He instantly smiles and says, "Never scarf down my food really fast."

"Good boy."

I lead my son to the nearby benches and waits for him to finish his food.

It seems the meeting with Troy is inevitable at this point. And here I am thinking that I could wait for another week, a month even before I travel to Albuquerque to tell Troy about Tyler. I've never been much of a procrastinator but evidently, I am when it comes to matters concerning my son and his father.

Taking a glance at Tyler, my heart breaks at the fact that for the last five years, he's grown up without a father figure. And I know that it is because of me that he doesn't have one. I know that Troy would have been an excellent father. He would revel in the moments where he could bond with his son over basketball. He would be an overprotective father who makes sure that Tyler grows up as a respectable and honorable young man.

There are times when I questioned my decision in leaving Albuquerque the way I did. Times like when Tyler comes home on Father's Day holding onto a card that he tries in vain to hide from me or when he asks me about his father for the first time a year ago. The first time he asked me, I'm left speechless, unsure of what to say or how much to divulge. The second time he asked me, I hesitated but when he looked up at me with those lucent blue eyes of his that reminded me so much of his father, I told him everything – well, at least the Reader's Digest version of it. I showed him pictures, videos of the school play and told him that his Papa is making a name for himself. I don't know if he fully understood, I mean he was only four. But after awhile, he stopped asking about his father. Tyler tried to hide holiday/birthday/special occasion cards that he made while in daycare. He never mentioned his father and I never fully understood why until I overheard him asking Ryan about Troy one day.

"_Uncle Ryan?" Laying on his bed and holding onto a basketball, a four year old Tyler tries to get a hold of Ryan's attention._

_Ryan looks up from his laptop and answers nonchalantly, " Shouldn't you be still asleep?"_

_Tyler blinks a few times, still tired from his afternoon nap._

"_Can you tell me about Papa?"_

_That sure got Ryan's attention. He looks at Tyler and hesitates before answering._

"_Um, why don't you ask your Mama, Ty?"_

_Sitting on his bed, Tyler replies, "I asked Mama. She showed me pictures of Papa singing at Twi- twi…"_

"_Twinkle Towne?" Ryan adds, seeing Tyler's difficulty in remembering the name of the play._

"_Yeah, that one." He gets off the bed and goes to his mini dresser. Tyler reaches inside the lowest level drawer and moves some of his socks around until he pulls out a tiny photo album that is hidden, Ryan notices._

_Tyler comes up to Ryan, opens the photo album and shows him pictures of Troy and Gabriella taken during the last two years in East High. Pictures from the Twinkle Towne production, the basketball championship, the Star Dazzle talent show, prom and finally graduation scatters throughout the album. _

_Tyler sends Ryan a worried glance and whispers, fearing that someone else might hear despite the fact that it is only him and Ryan at the house, "Don't tell Mama okay?"_

"_Why?"_

"_Mama doesn't know that I took this from her box."_

_Taking a hold of Tyler's hands, Ryan looks the boy in the eye and says, "Ty, your Mama's not going to get mad if you have pictures of your Papa."_

_Tyler just bites his lower lip._

"_Look at me, you don't need to hide those pictures of your Dad away."_

"_I do."_

"_You don't need to, Ty." Ryan offers a reassuring smile. _

_Tyler hugs the photo album close to his chest and Ryan sees his eyes start to moisten._

"_I asked Mama about Papa before. She told me he's in Albu…" Tyler looks at Ryan for help._

"_Albuquerque."_

_Tyler nods his head in agreement and continues on to say, "…and she told me she left Papa and that Papa loves me. I don't really understand."_

_The four year old expression is a mixture of confusion, naiveté and sadness._

_Ryan looks at the boy and sits there, clueless and, unsure of what to do or how to act. _

"_Mama started crying. I was in my room and I heard her crying because I asked about Papa." _

"_Ty…"_

"_I never wanted to make Mama cry. I promise."_

_Hugging the little boy, Ryan realizes why Tyler is asking about Troy._

"_Is that why you don't ask your Mom about Troy?"_

_Tyler nods his head and says, "I don't want to make Mama cry no more."_

"_Oh, Tyler." Ryan sighs and just hugs the boy._

_Outside Tyler's room, Gabriella Montez stands helplessly, running down her cheeks are tears that she doesn't even bother to wipe away._

After that day, I did everything to show Tyler that the topic of his father isn't something that he should be afraid of. I brought him a basketball set so he could somehow connect with his father. Pathetic, I know but at least it is something. And for the most part, it worked. Tyler didn't hide the photo album anymore. We even placed a picture of Troy by his night stand. But every now and then, especially around Father's Day and Troy's birthday, Tyler would get really quiet and I would see another hand made greeting card and gift added, hidden underneath his sock drawer.

My heart breaks every time I see those gifts and I realize how much I've managed to hurt my son indirectly by taking his father away from him.

Looking at him now, finishing his third hotdog with mustard stains on his shirt and ketchup around his mouth, I come to a conclusion – one that I should have made years ago, maybe it is high time that he meets his father.

"Ready to get that dog now?"

Forty five minutes later, the mother and son duo find themselves back in the park, with an additional member in tow, upon Tyler's insistence that he wanted to walk to walk his dog; christened 'Bubba' – a name she protested to.

_Lena, the manager of the rescue dog pound ask Tyler, "So, what are you going to name this little one?"_

_Referring to the two month old Labrador she is carrying, Tyler didn't even bat an eye before excitedly blurting out, "Bubba. I'm calling him Bubba."_

_The two adults in the room stare oddly at the little boy._

_Gabriella tentatively queries, "Baby, are you sure you wanna call him," her expression grimace, "Bubba?"_

_He nods his head fervently and repeats, "Bubba. He's my Bubba."_

_Gabriella just gives up questioning the boy's choice of name and gives in. She takes the pup from Lena, holds it up and declares, "Welcome to the family, Bubba."_

Now, with Bubba along, Tyler and I head off into the park's playground. Upon reaching the area, I remind Tyler to stay close enough where I can see him. And with a simple 'yes', he leads the Labrador towards the swing set.

I observe the other people on the park before taking a seat at the nearby bench and reaching in my bag to pull _A Thousand Splendid Suns_. I open the book and with another glance in Tyler's direction, I begin reading, immersing myself into Hosseini's world.

* * *

Taking the scenic route back to their hotel, Troy Bolton and his boss Gerard Smith look like sore thumbs in the midst of the athletic wearing, casually dressed occupants of Central Park.

"I heard the Bahamas are -"

Snorting, Troy interrupts, "I am not going to the Bahamas, Gerard."

"Okay, how about LA? Visit that actress friend of yours?"

"Her name's Sharpay and no, the weekend -"

It is Gerard's turn to interrupt, saying "A **week** is enough to sight see and see all the tourist attractions in Hollywood?"

"Do I look like someone who enjoys taking a tour of celebrity's homes or shopping at Rodeo Drive?" Troy gives Gerard an incredulous glance.

His boss shrugs his shoulders in dismissal. "Fine, stay in New York then. Watch some Broadway plays. Roam Central Park like you did this afternoon with that guy who looks remarkably like Sharpay…"

The mere mention of Ryan brings back memories of a vivacious little boy that try as he might, won't leave his mind. And truth be told, Troy is getting annoyed by the minute as more and more images of the boy and Gabriella fills his head.

"Sometimes I forget that you're only twenty four."

An eyebrow is raised. "And your point is…"

Gerard stops mid stride and looks at his protégé before walking again. "Lemme guess, for your week long vacation, you'll fly back to Albuquerque, spend all your afternoons with the East High Wildcats. In the mornings, you'll go behind my back and call your secretary Alice so she can send all documents and reports in your home office so you can work on it."

His boss hits the nail right in the head.

Smirking, Gerard continues, "Judging from the look in your face, I'd say I hit the nail right in the head. You're a young, successful, not to mention Albuquerque's #1 Hottest Bachelor who should be out there, partying, dating and going out to clubs -"

"I am a young, full time employee of the Smith & Co. who by the way, makes his boss millions in revenue every year…" Troy adds in, correcting Gerard. "And it's nice to know that my boss would approve if I go to work with a hangover because I spent the night partying. I'll keep that in mind."

Gerard just rolls his eyes in exasperation and says, "There's no use arguing with you."

Ever since Troy Bolton started working at Smith & Co. at the tender of age of nineteen as an intern, he has buried himself in work, school and basketball. Set to attend Duke University at the fall of 2008, Troy spent only one semester before transferring to the University of Albuquerque. Troy knew that Gabriella's departure left him broken (his non-existent love life is a testament to this) and his need to be near his family and friends were the main reasons why he left Duke. If anyone knew the real reason why, they would think that him weak and pathetic but as the whole world knew – or at least those concerned, Troy Bolton transferred because he was offered a more promising scholarship so he could play for Albuquerque's basketball team.

Shortly after coming back home, he started interning for Gerard's company. What was only suppose to be a summer internship soon turned into a six month stretch and before he knew it, he was offered a position in the company the minute he graduated college. In the last few years, he's managed to successfully climb the corporate ladder in an alarmingly fast speed. And some could even say that he is really living the good life. He bought a house – actually, he bought Gabriella's old house. He didn't really plan on buying it, hell, he didn't even know that it was up for sale but as he passed by the neighborhood and he saw the For Sale sign, he just impulsively told his realtor to check out the house and less than a week later, he became a proud home owner. His family and friends – especially Chad, were concerned when they found out that he bought Gabriella's old house of all the houses in their area. They thought he was crazy and still clinging on to the hope that his ex girlfriend might come back but to him, in a weird and unexplainable way, it just felt right. It was the house where he spent all his afternoons – and nights in for the last two years of high school. And it seemed like a peculiar choice, a traditional four bedroom house for a bachelor pad but Troy didn't care. He felt at home and that's all that mattered.

_It is a week before school is officially over, before Troy and Gabriella finally graduate from high school and enter the real world. No more senior projects. No more class assignments. No more waking up at six am in the morning just to get to basketball practice, or for Gabriella, no more staying up till one am in the morning because a certain best friend of hers decided that winning the Decathlon is more important than sleep. _

_It is in these rare occurrences when both Troy and Gabriella have no obligations and no responsibilities where one can usually find them, laying in each others arms on Gabriella's roof top, gazing at Albuquerque clear sky. Throughout the almost two years that they've been together, Troy and Gabriella spend nearly every waking moment with each other. If Troy isn't at basketball or golf or whatever sport he's involved with, he's with Gabriella in the library, stealing kisses here and there. If Gabriella isn't with Taylor engaged in some laboratory experiment or in a Decathlon meeting, she would be at the gym, watching adoringly while Troy practices. Their parents have gotten used to seeing their children attached to hip and they discovered fast enough that if they wanted to spend some quality time with Troy and Gabriella, they have would have to consent to certain allowances. Friday night dinners involving the two families came about. Sleepovers were allowed as long as the door is left open. Sunday is devoted to combined family get-togethers between the Bolton's and the Montez'. Jack and Linda Bolton consider Gabriella as part of their family and the same can be said for Troy. Hell, even Linda and Gabriella's mom, Maria are already planning their children's wedding, much to Jack's, Troy's and Gabriella's chagrin. _

_And with college dawning upon them, if people thought that East High's most beloved couple are attached to the hip before, the last few weeks of high school is proving them wrong. Because they are literally spending every minute with each other, trying to get the most of their time left together before Troy leaves for Duke while Gabriella heads off to Yale._

"_So, Miss Valedictorian, how does it feel that high school is coming to an end at last? Exciting huh?" _

_His question is met with silence. _

_Turning to his side so he can get a better look at his girlfriend, Troy inwardly berates himself when he sees the beginnings of tears on Gabriella's face._

"_Oh, Gabi." Hugging her more tightly, Troy whisper sweet nothings in her ear but this only results in Gabriella crying harder._

_Completely oblivious as to what to do, Troy just hugs Gabriella and wipes away her tears._

"_Babe, what's wrong?"_

_Hiccup. "We only have one week left." Hiccup._

"_You've been so strong lately. You didn't even cry when we got our yearbooks or when we had our Senor picnic. What happened to the smiling and exuberant Gabriella?"_

"_She's gone and now you have me, a crying and emotional Gabriella, so deal with it okay?" She bites back._

_Troy smiles. A sarcastic Gabriella – even one that's crying is a good sign._

"_And you're smiling because? You're girlfriend is freaking out here because in less than three months, you'll be leaving and then I'll leave and -"_

_Troy laughs out loud and looks down on his girlfriend of a year and a half before kissing her senseless to shut her up._

"_We are going to be fine. This," pointing at the two of them, "isn't going to end. I love you too much to let you go, not now, not ever." _

_She shyly smiles and this time, she's the one who fervently kisses Troy. _

_Several minutes later, after their heated make out session on the rooftop ends, Gabriella lovingly looks into Troy's eyes and whispers, "I love you Troy Bolton. Don't you ever forget that. Four years from now, we'll be back and we'll gaze up at that clear night sky and everything will be fine."_

"_Damn right it will be." _

"So, I already called the airline company and changed your flight -"

Incensed, Troy responds, "Gerard, I'm going back to Albuquerque for this ridiculous week long vacation you gave me."

"For the love of God, live a little. Hook up with random girls here in New York, spend the week in a drunken stupor and then come home."

Sighing, "First, you think I'm fascinated in the frivolous lives of celebrities and now, you're insinuating that I'm the type of guy who engages in one night stands. I'm interested in what you really think of me."

Gerard opens his mouth to retort but Troy interrupts him, "And second of all, you are not living vicariously through me. You decided to get yourself tied down and just because you're missing those drunken bachelor days of yours -"

"Hey, hey, hey. I'll have you know that I'm very happy with Tricia. I'd give up all the girls in the pond just for her."

Troy just laughs out loud in response, attracting some of the casual bystanders near the playground.

They pass by a group of giggling teenage girls and as Gerard notes, "I still have the charm" to which Troy responds by rolling his eyes.

Casually observing his surroundings, Troy feels like an outsider amongst the mildly populated area of New Yorkers. He sees a curly haired musician that sits atop a rock, playing his guitar, a brunette woman sitting on a bench reading a book, a teenage boy trying out his hand at skateboarding, several mothers standing by, looking over their children in the playground, a kid holding a stick and trying to get the attention of a Labrador puppy, a few joggers here and –

Troy does a double take and unknowingly starts walking in the direction of the kid with the Labrador.

"Hey, where are you going this time? The exit is this way…"

Troy just waves his hands in dismissal followed by a "What the -" from a confused Gerard.

The little boy starts walking in Troy's direction, his attention still directed towards the pup and Troy could faintly hear the boy saying, "Come on, Bubba. We have to get back to Mama."

Tugging at the dog's leash, the boy starts mildly running until he reaches the woman on the bench reading.

Troy stops walking.

"Mama, Bubba wants ice cream."

Lifting her eyes off the book, the woman in question remarks, "Bubba wants ice cream huh?"

For the second time that day, Troy does a double take and it feels like his heart has stopped beating.

Beside him, Gerard notes, "Isn't that…"

Cutting him off, Troy responds, "Yeah, yeah it is."

Sitting a few feet away from him is Gabrielle Montez and in a second, everything seems to fall into place.

"Please, Mama. Some ice cream for Bubba?"

Troy unconsciously takes a step backward.

"By Bubba you mean, 'let's get some ice cream from Tyler' right?"

The boy - named Tyler smiles sheepishly.

A wave of different emotions – anger, confusion, and anguish sweeps over Troy all at once. And in that moment, the realization hits him like a ton of bricks. The same blue eyes. The same dark curls. The same nose. The same lips. The same freaking bone structure. Had the boy had sandy blonde hair, he would be the spitting image of himself in his pre-school days.

Troy Bolton has a son.

And he did what any man would do faced with a situation like this, he bolts, leaving behind a perplexed Gerard and an oblivious mother and son duo in his wake.

* * *

In another side of New York, the Evan siblings are engaged in a somewhat similar internal turmoil that their friend Troy Bolton is experiencing.

Ryan Evans is in the kitchen, cooking their dinner while his sister sits atop oneof the kitchen stools, arms crossed, eyebrows raised – looking like the diva that everyone knew she is.

For the last half hour or so, they have been trying to hold a civil conversation but failing in vain when one, or sometimes both of them would inevitably snap at each other. After so many failed attempts, they decided to momentarily hold a truce and appease their hungry stomachs.

Seeing Sharpay's sour expression and deciding that it is better to lay everything on the table, Ryan goads his sister by asking, "So, how much of a bitch were you to Gabriella?"

"I dunno know. How much of a liar were you to your friends?" was the reply Ryan got.

"Touché."

An awkward silence envelope the room while each Evan sibling tries to hold their temper in check, ultimately settling for glaring at each other instead of letting hell erupt in Ryan's apartment.

A doorbell rings in the distance.

Both Ryan and Sharpay ignore the doorbell, opting for continuing their glaring contest instead.

The doorbell rings again.

Without breaking eye contact, Ryan motions for Sharpay to answer the door.

She just crosses her arms petulantly in response.

The doorbell rings a third time.

"I'm cooking here," Ryan says with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

She raises an eyebrow, as if saying "So what?"

The doorbell rings a fourth, fifth and sixth time demonstrating the person's urgency.

Sharpay gets up from her seat and huffs, "Fine." She crosses the living room and opens the door, more than ready to yell at the person on the outside.

Her scowl soon turns into a bright smile when she sees Troy Bolton. She steps forward to give Troy a hug but his irate expression stops her.

The first words that come out of his lips are "Where is that son of a bitch?"

Seeing as Sharpay has never seen Troy mad before, she cautiously takes a step back.

"What?"

His angry façade is soon directed to Sharpay. Ignoring her question, he asks again, "Where is that son of a bitch?"

It takes a moment before Sharpay realizes why Troy is pissed as hell.

"Gabriella already told you?" she remarks in surprise.

If it is even possible, Troy's face is now fuming in rage.

"You knew too?" he shouts.

Bringing up her hands in defense, she tries to explain, "I only found out yesterday, Troy."

His glare lessens but this doesn't last when Ryan, upon hearing all the commotion, enters the room.

"Oh, hey Troy."

Sharpay sees Troy tighten his fist before he starts marching towards Ryan. Before anyone could anticipate it, Troy Bolton says, "You son of a bitch" followed by a punch straight to Ryan's jaw.

"Shit."

"Troy."

Rushing to Ryan's side and taking a look at his jaw, Sharpay sends Troy a chastising look and states, "You didn't have to punch him." She leaves the room, returning a second later with a bag of frozen peas that she none-too-gently shoves in Ryan's swollen cheek.

Ryan cringes in pain and takes the bag from his sister. This time, he carefully places it over his jaw and mutters, "Its okay Sharpay. I deserved it."

"Like hell you did," Troy angrily retorts, "I thought you were my friend."

"I am," looking at Troy, he continues, "That's why I did what I did."

Troy sarcastically laughs. "Oh, so you repeatedly lied to me for the last few years and you have the gall to call yourself my friend."

"Troy…"

"For the last six years, you knew where Gabriella was. You knew I had a son. You knew and you didn't tell me."

"I had no choice, Troy."

He scoffs. "Bullshit. You always have a choice, you could have told me. What, you didn't think I had a right to know that I have a son? You thought that I didn't deserve to know?"

"You don't understand…"

Troy clenches and unclenches his fist, as if he's trying to control himself. "What I understand is that for the last six years, you looked me in the face and didn't tell me the truth. You were there when I drunk my ass off because Gabriella left and yet you didn't say anything. You didn't -"

Ryan interrupts Troy's tirade and all but shouts, "She threatened to run away again if I told anyone."

Silence fills the room.

Still clutching his bruised jaw, Ryan leans helplessly at the couch and tells his side of the story.

"It was after winter break. I had an audition in downtown Manhattan and on my way back, I passed by this old bookstore. I needed a book and I went in and there she was, ringing up a customer looking like the same Gabriella we all knew. The moment she saw me she bolted out of there, right in the middle of her transaction."

He sighs and goes on to continue, "She didn't come out of the employees section so I left. I came back almost every day and by the end of the week, I thought I just imagined seeing her. Two weeks after I passed by the bookstore again and I saw a similarly looking girl manning the cashier so just when I finally deduced that I did imagine Gabriella, I see her stacking some books in the shelves with her protruding belly."

"By the time Gabriella stopped running away from the sight of me, the first words out of her mouth was 'Tell a soul and I'll be out of New York before you even knew it'. She made me promise, Troy. She made me promise."

Sending a pleading look towards Troy, "Don't you see? I had to choose the lesser of two evils. I couldn't risk having her run away again given her condition. I hated lying to you. I hated lying to everyone but I had no choice."

For the second time that day, silence surrounds the Evan's apartment. No one moves. No one speaks. Ryan just sits there, holding the bag of peas. Sharpay stands uncomfortably between the two men. And Troy, well Troy just stands there, emotionless and stoic.

Troy breaks the silence and silently reveals, "It's going to take some time before we're okay again."

"Oh." Ryan responds forlornly.

Not looking anyone in the eye, Troy says, "I'm...I'm gonna go." And without another glance towards the other occupants of the room, Troy heads towards the door only to come face to face with the last two people he wanted to see at the moment; Gabriella Montez and his son.

* * *

Longest chapter I have ever written. So review, review, review. You know you want to. You never know, it just might make me update faster...lol. 


	5. The Secret's in the Telling

_AN:_ Wow, thanks to everyone who reviewed, some of em' made me laugh and because you guys are just super amazing, I bring you a new, super long chapter. Yay right, considering if you look at my track record, I post a new chapter once a month so this is a record for me. Haha.

Um, nothing much to say really except, from the very beginning, I've said that this story is pretty much an embodiment of a cliché plotline and as you will read, even Gabriella's reasoning on why she left is cliché at best… I actually mirrored Gabriella's situation with that of a friend of mine who got pregnant at nineteen and left her boyfriend for the same reason Gabriella leaves Troy…

Enjoy.

_Disclaimer:_ I don't own anything.

_Italics_ – flashbacks

* * *

**The Secret's in the Telling**

"How is she doing?"

Sighs, "She cried herself to sleep," nudging her head towards Tyler, "How about the boy?"

Ryan looks at Tyler, huddled in the bed, clutching on to his dog as if his life depended on it. He cast Sharpay a worried glance before saying, "Confused. Worried about his mother. I didn't know what to tell him. I mean, he just saw his father for the first time -"

Sharpay idly interrupts, "Second."

"What?"

"Tyler saw Troy talking to you earlier."

"Right, I forgot," running his hands over his hair in frustration, he continues, "This is so messed up."

Sharpay snorts in a very unladylike fashion. "Tell me about it. I've only been in New York for two days and I feel like I'm already a part of this trite, cliché soap opera drama."

"Welcome to my life." Ryan jokingly adds.

The Evans siblings head out of the guest room, leaving Tyler asleep with Bubba. Sharpay enters the kitchen while Ryan goes in the living room to check on Gabriella. He finds her sleeping on the coach, tear stains evident on the makeshift pillow and on her shirt. Shaking his head, he places a blanket over Gabriella and wipes her tear-stricken cheek before joining Sharpay in the kitchen.

"I can't believe Troy stormed out like that," he comments as he enters the kitchen. He sees Sharpay looking for something in the cupboards before finally taking out two mugs and placing it on the kitchen table.

"Can you blame the guy? At least he didn't go off on Gabi in front of Tyler." She says as she pours some coffee on both the mugs and settles in on one of the chairs.

"Thank gawd for that."

"_Papa!" _

_The aforementioned young man's angry visage softens upon seeing the mother and son pair. Behind him, Ryan and Sharpay look cautiously at each other, uncertain of how to act or if they should intervene before anything disastrous happens. _

_Tyler lets go off Bubba's leash and runs straight to Troy, hugging his father by the legs. Troy awkwardly pats the boy's head and tentatively smiles at his newly discovered son. After Tyler breaks away from the hug, he looks expectantly at both his parents. When both of them did not move an inch, he asks innocently, "Mama, aren't you going to greet Papa too?"_

_It is evident to the other occupants of the room that Troy is having an internal struggle on what he should do next. His features move from one emotion to another, ranging from anger to uncertainty, as if he's contemplating whether to hug Gabriella or strangle her in the neck. _

_And just when Ryan and Sharpay think that Troy would do the latter, he surprises everyone instead by opting for the former, shocking the adults and making one particular boy extremely happy. _

_Troy gawkily hugs Gabriella for a second – too short for Gabriella to fully register that Troy Bolton is indeed hugging her but too long for Troy because just being in the same vicinity as his ex girlfriend and hell, hugging her even brings back all the painful memories of her abrupt departure. _

_Releasing Gabriella from the hug, Troy mumbles a word or two that no one could not quite catch, timidly smiles at Tyler before apologetically saying, "I need to get back to work. I'll drop by later okay." No one dares point out that it is already 8:30 at night. He pats Tyler's head again and the boy beams. Before anyone could blink, Troy Bolton storms out of Ryan's apartment while the others look on in various degrees of surprise, astonishment or in Gabriella's case, disappointment. _

"_Bye Papa." Tyler shouts and Troy looks back to smile at the boy. Once Troy Bolton enters the elevator, Tyler immediately begins to tell Ryan and Sharpay about his eventful day, "Bubba meet Uncle Ryan…"_

_Sharpay looks at Gabriella and sees that she is just standing there, in a daze, obviously still in shock at seeing Troy again. Her attention is brought back at the boy when he starts tugging her pants and relating at some humorous story about his dog. _

_Ryan comes to stand in front of Gabriella and it doesn't take long before she unexpectedly burst into tears. _

_Tyler's nonsense blabbering about his dog immediately stops and he looks at his mother._

"_Mama?"_

_Sending his sister a helpless glance, Ryan takes a hold of Gabriella and guides her inside his apartment. _

_Worried, Tyler asks Sharpay, "Auntie, why is Mama crying? Is it because of Bubba? Or Papa?"_

_Kneeling in front of the boy, Sharpay takes a moment before she replies cautiously, "Tears of joy, Tyler. They're tears of joy. Your Mama is just happy to see your Papa."_

_It is obvious that Tyler isn't fully appeased by Sharpay's answer and he is about to open his mouth when Bubba's bark distracts him. _

_Following the two into the apartment, Sharpay hurries Tyler along, directing him to the guest bedroom so he won't see his mother crying. After making sure that the boy is settled, Sharpay joins Ryan in the living room, who upon seeing her, sends Sharpay an indebted look. _

_Considering Ryan's aversion to crying, Sharpay isn't surprised with Ryan's reaction to a bawling Gabriella. She takes pity on her brother and points at the kitchen. After a word or two to Gabriella, Ryan hurries out of the living room._

"_I'll deal with Tyler and you deal with Gabriella, okay." _

_And without so much as a glance, Ryan leaves the kitchen in the same hurried manner when he left Gabriella. _

Two hours later, Sharpay and Ryan find themselves back in the kitchen sipping a cup of coffee.

"You would think that after dealing with Gabriella when she cries during these last couple of years, that I would be used to this whole crying and comforting thing."

Sharpay rolls her eyes. "Comforting her? Ryan, all I did this past hour is sit awkwardly while she cried in my shoulder. She babbled on and on about Troy and Tyler. I couldn't even get a word in for she just cried and talked and talked…"

Ignoring Sharpay's rant, Ryan says, "Maybe we should call Troy or something? Check up on him?"

"The phone's right next to you."

It is obvious that Sharpay does not fully understands Ryan's predicament so he just gives up and dials Troy's phone number. It rings for a couple of times.

"_Hey. This is…_"

"Troy, it's Ryan -" but he is interrupted by Troy's voicemail message.

"_Troy. Leave me a message. And if this is Chad, dude, if you're wondering where your keys are, I have them._"

"It went to his voicemail. Maybe you should call him."

Sending Ryan a dubious glance, Sharpay says, "You just called the guy -"

"Ever occur to you that he might be screening his calls? I'm not his favorite person at the moment," Ryan says in exasperation.

"Oh."

Grabbing her cell from the counter, Sharpay calls Troy. Holding onto her cell with one hand and using the other to sip her coffee, she says, "He's not answering either. Maybe its better if we give Troy some space."

* * *

In a five star hotel overlooking Central Park; Gerard Smith is more than ready to settle in for the night. In fact, he is already under the covers and half asleep when he hears a bang outside his hotel room.

Thinking that it is a fallen object or something, he pays no heed to it.

_Bang_

He ignores it.

Another bang is heard, consequently followed by a muffled, "Shit".

Dismissing it as some drunkard walking the hallway to get to his room, Gerard just ignores the outside disturbance and for the most part succeeding –

Until he hears his name being called that is.

In a sing-song tone, he hears "Gerard".

Not getting a reply, the man repeats, "Geraaaaaard…."

That sounds like –

Someone knocks on his door.

Annoyed, he gets up and grabs a robe on the way out. His suspicions are confirmed when upon opening the door, he sees an intoxicated Troy Bolton, one hand up in the air, face down showing an obvious interest in his shoes.

"Geez, I didn't think you'd actually take my word and get drunk." Gerard comments.

Looking up, Troy smiles goofily and slurs, "Gerard. I can't find my keys."

He rolls his eyes and says, "You're holding them Troy."

"Huh," he lifts his hand and dangles the keys in front of his face, "would you look at that?"

Without another word, he then walks to the door opposite Gerard's.

"That's not your room, Troy." He calls out.

Turning around and nearly falling in the process, he scans the hallway before heading to another room adjacent Gerard's room. "Right, it's that one." He points to another door.

Gerard shakes his head no.

"No? What about that one?"

He tries to contain his growing amusement when he sees what Troy is pointing at.

"Troy, that's a side table."

Troy looks around again before taking a seat, actually, more like plopping down on the hallway floor and saying, "Do you think they'll mind if I sleep here?"

Taking his arm, Gerard helps Troy up and leads him to the correct room and says, "Now, why would you want to do that when you have a perfectly comfy room?"

On the way, Troy babbles on about some random subject that Gerard doesn't quite understand.

"…the bartender refused to give me more…"

For the most part, Gerard disregards Troy's drunken chatter as nonsense.

"…doesn't understand that I needed it…"

He takes the keys from him and guides Troy inside his hotel room.

"I mean, I just saw Gabriella and my son for the first time…"

Inattentively, Gerard says, "Gabriella and your son, right," as if not fully registering what Troy is saying.

Helping him take a seat on the bed, Gerard tackles taking off Troy's shoes but stopping suddenly when he realizes what the young man actually said.

"What did you mean by your son?"

Troy sends him a pointed look, "Gerard, would you please listen next time."

"Right, sorry. Now, about this son -"

"Tyler. My son has a name you know, not that it matters since I didn't even get to help pick my own son's name."

"Okay, Tyler it is. How old is he?" Gerard asks, trying to piece everything together.

"5? 4? 6?" Troy's brows crease in concentration. "He's five," Bringing his hand up and showing Gerard four fingers which had him smiling in amusement, Troy continues, "My son's five and I only saw him today. Imagine that?"

"A son huh?"

"Yes. Really, there's no need to repeat everything I say, boss."

Gerard doesn't even bother correcting Troy.

Throwing on of his shoes across the room, Troy plops on the bed and closes his eyes. Gerard takes it as his cue to leave but on his way out, he hears Troy mumble, "She still smells like lavender and vanilla. And the sad thing is, after six years, I'm still in love with her."

Gerard sighs and figures out that Troy is referring to Gabriella Montez. "I guess Chad is right, I am a fool" are the last words Gerard hears and by the time he closes the door, he could hear Troy faintly snoring.

A good thirteen hours or so later, Troy is awakened by a phone ringing.

He groans and covers his face with another pillow.

The ringing stops.

By the time he gets settled in, his phone starts ringing again.

He grunts and fumbles around, trying to find his damn phone so he could mouth off to whoever is calling him this early in the morning.

"Argh." He sits up, clutches in head in pain and realizes that his estimations are incorrect when he sees that it is already 10:45 am.

The stupid phone just keeps on ringing.

He lets out a frustrated "Shut up" directed at the phone before going back to finding that damn object. Moving his jacket, he finds his phone, sees that he has several missed calls before answering in a clipped tone.

"What?"

He is met with silence and then a dead ring tone.

Plopping back on the bed, Troy nurses his headache and throws away his phone. It bounces off the bed and lands by the night stand.

After a few seconds, the damn phone starts ringing again. Infuriated, he stands up, stalks over to the night stand and picks up his cellphone.

"Whoever this is, I'm in no mood for shit. So, go bother someone else."

"_Troy?_" a meek voice responds back.

* * *

Gabriella wakes up the next morning to the sounds of a dog barking and an obviously annoyed Sharpay chastising the said dog.

"Bad Bubba, bad. You don't just chew on Manolo Blahniks."

From her place in the living room couch, Gabriella smiles at Sharpay's words. She can just imagine Sharpay looking sternly at the dog and talking to it as if Bubba can actually understand the value of Sharpay's precious shoes.

Standing up and folding the blanket she used, Gabriella heads to the kitchen. She passes by the mantle and sees that it is 10:19 am.

Alarmed, she calls out, "Tyler? Baby?"

Coming out of the kitchen, Sharpay says, "Tyler was dropped off to his school by a certain Matt Forster. Ryan was supposed to do it but some rehearsal thing came up." Raising an eyebrow, "This guy, Matt, he seems to know his way around your loft. He even brought Tyler's backpack with him when he came by this morning."

Gabriella sees the question in Sharpay's eyes. She answers, "No, Matt and I are not dating. We're just business partners – sort of." Gabriella adds as an afterthought.

"Sort of? And what exactly have you been doing these past couple of years?"

"Well, after leaving Albuquerque, my mom and I moved to Chicago where I stayed for about two months. Shortly after, I ran away from home and found myself in New York."

Confused, Sharpay interrupts, "You ran away from your mother?"

Sighing, she says, "To put it mildly, she wasn't too keen on the pregnancy. But yeah, to make the long story short, I moved to New York, met Mark and Sarah Forster, Matt's grandparents and they took me in. Helped me with Tyler and six years later, I'm co-owner of Forster's Bookstore with Matt."

"One of these days, we're going to have a long chat and you'll tell me in detail about what exactly happened these last few years."

Gabriella just smiles. "Speaking of work, I need to go back home and change. We have some deliveries today and -"

Sharpay interrupts, "Matt told me to tell you that you're taking today off."

"You guys told him?"

"Oh, Ryan and I didn't say anything. Your son just blurted it out and told Matt about Troy."

It is palpable that the mere mention of Troy bothers Gabriella. She bites her lower lip in nervousness and asks Sharpay for Troy's number. The older Evan twin didn't put up a fuss and just hands Gabriella a piece of paper with Troy's cell number, along with the phone. She hesitantly takes the phone and slowly dials.

Sharpay closely watches Gabriella and when she puts the phone down a few seconds later, she remarks, "So, Troy didn't answer?"

Gabriella looks away.

"You hanged up on him?"

Still biting her lip, Gabriella responds, "Umm, not really. I ended the call after a few rings."

Holding her annoyance in bay, Sharpay grabs the phone from Gabriella and starts dialing Troy's number.

"What are you doing?" Gabriella asks in a panic.

"Calling Troy. This call between the two of you is a long time coming."

Gabriella tries to get the phone from Sharpay but she just dodges Gabriella's attempts at stealing the phone.

"Sharpay, gimme the phone."

Smirking, she hands it over.

Gabriella hears a muffled "_What?_" and in a panic, she hangs up.

Seeing Gabriella's fear-filled eyes, Sharpay inquires, "You hang up on him again? Seriously, Gabriella, you can't keep postponing the inevitable. Call Troy, now."

"But, Sha-" seeing Sharpay's glare, Gabriella grouchily agrees, "Fine."

Dialing Troy's number again, Gabriella moves sideways in obvious trepidation. After only two rings, she hears, "_Whoever this is, I'm in no mood for this. So, go bother someone else._"

"Troy?"

From the corner of her eye, Gabriella sees Sharpay leave the living room and head to the kitchen.

"_Gabriella?"_

"Yeah. This is Gabriella."

An uncomfortable silence envelope the two of them.

"_What do you want? Finally called to tell me that I have a son?_"

"Troy, I can explain."

She hears Troy scoff over the phone.

"_How could you?_"

Gabriella tries to hold back her tears and pauses before she answers, "I'm sorry."

For a long time, neither of them speak. And just when Gabriella thinks that Troy is about to end the call, she hears him say in a resigned tone, "_I can't do this over the phone._"

"Okay. Um, whenever you're ready, I can explain everything."

In a sarcastic tone, Troy says, "_There's no time like the present right? I'll stop by Ryan's apartment after lunch, around one o'clock maybe."_

"Sure, and Troy -"

And without so much as a goodbye or anything, Troy Bolton hangs up on her.

Clutching the phone close to her chest, Gabriella breaks down again and crumples on the living room floor.

Upon hearing this, Sharpay immediately goes to the living room, only to see Gabriella crying hysterically.

"Oh, Gabi." She hugs Gabriella and tries to comfort her.

A few minutes later, after the crying has died down, Gabriella asks in a timid voice, "Why are you being so nice to me now?"

Sharpay tentatively smiles and wipes some of Gabriella's tears away, "Because as much as I hate what you did, you need a friend right about now."

"After everything I did, you still consider us friends?" Gabriella dubiously inquires.

"Well, I wouldn't go far as to say that we're completely fine but yeah, in a way, that's what I'm saying," she sighs, "Despite everything that happened, you're the first person to saw behind my bitchy-diva façade back in high school. You're the first one who liked me for me, bitch or not."

Sharpay shrugs and continues, "It was easier to get angry at you for what you did but if I'm completely honest with myself, I've forgiven you the moment I saw your little boy."

Gabriella smiles and hugs Sharpay. "I really am sorry."

"I know," she smiles in return and says, "I'm guessing you're meeting Troy today…"

* * *

Chad Danforth is not a happy man. In fact, he is downright frustrated with everyone around him. He is tired, hungry and in desperate need of some sleep. If you told him yesterday morning that his best friend has a son, he'll scoff and call you insane. But that's exactly what happened.

The day started of as planned. He woke up at six o'clock sharp and it was business as usual. By seven, he was on his way to work. The rest of the day went smoothly. He attended radio meetings here and there but by four thirty that afternoon, things started to head south. On his way home, he got a flat tire. A minute later, he found out that he doesn't have a spare tire on his trunk. An hour later, after numerous calls to AAA and finally to a local auto shop, he was finally on his way. Deciding to stop by Zeke's bakery, he encountered a bevy of gorgeous twenty-somethings. Instead of coming out of that situation with a handful of telephone numbers, Chad found himself in the receiving end of a threat and a near-punch from the boyfriends of said gorgeous women. Suffice it to say, he walked away from the encounter with his pride bruised but body still intact.

After a short afternoon snack at Zeke's, he headed to the gym, only to find his locker's keys missing. Sure, he could have driven home, changed into his athletic clothes and go back to the gym but Chad Danforth doesn't that. Instead, he cursed the gods for his bad luck and takes out his anger on the poor locker door. Plans to workout were quickly shot down. By six o'clock pm, he heads home, dejectedly and pissed off. He receives a drunken phone call from someone who sounded a lot like Troy but before he could ask, the person hung up on him. And so, he calls Troy to confirm his suspicions and lo and behold, it was indeed Troy Bolton who made the call.

Chad Danforth didn't intend for the call to last long but he got exactly the opposite. His best friend drunkenly narrated the life changing events that happened to him for the last two days. At first, Chad didn't quite believe what Troy was saying. He just laughed it off, blaming Troy's over-active imagination that always seems to rear its head when his best friend is drunk. But by the end, something in Troy's tone alerted him that something was definitely amiss. And by seven o' clock that night, he found himself boarding a plane to New York.

Eleven gruesome hours later (he sat next to a mother and her non-stop crying baby), he stands in front of Troy Bolton's hotel room in The Plaza, knocking for what seemed like hours but no one's answering.

He is tired, hungry and definitely grumpy. Yup, it is safe to say that Chad Danforth is definitely not a happy man at the moment.

* * *

After an hour or so of sleep, Troy Bolton wakes up at the sound of someone knocking.

Worn-out from his uncomfortable phone call with Gabriella, not to mention his splitting headache, Troy is exhausted. And the constant interruptions aren't helping on bit.

Ignoring the knocks on his hotel door, Troy struggles to get some more sleep but when the knocking reaches the point that ignoring it isn't an option, he dismally gets up from the comfort of his bed and answers the door.

He sees an irritated Chad Danforth standing before him, holding onto a cup holder with two cups of coffee with one hand and a black traveling bag with the other. Chad just marches right in, dropping his bag along the way and handing Troy one of the coffees with a "That should help with your hangover".

Confused, Troy closes the door and follows Chad inside. He sees Chad lay on the couch and closes his eyes.

After taking a sip of the coffee, Troy hesitantly asks, "Um, what are you doing in New York, Chad?"

Eyes still closed, Chad replies with a question of his own, "You pathetically prank called me last night and then proceeded to cry your heart out about Gabriella and your son, remember?"

"No I didn't." But inside, Troy is trying in vain to remember the events that happened the night prior but everything seems to be a blur.

Chad just snorts before going on to say, "That drunk, huh?"

_Not having lived in New York, Troy Bolton had no idea where he is going. All he knows is that he needed to get away from Gabriella, from Sharpay and Ryan and even from his son. _

_He fucking has a son. _

_The thought is enough to make him sick in the stomach. Don't get it wrong, the boy – Tyler, himself isn't the reason for the queasiness in his stomach. It is the thought that for the last six years, he was – is a father to a five year old. It is the thought that for the last five years of his son's life, he isn't there to share it with him. And despite the glaring fact that he didn't even know about the boy's existence, a tiny part of Troy is disgusted with himself._

_A million thoughts is running over his head. _

_What if Tyler thinks he is a dead-beat father?_

_What if Tyler doesn't even know that he existed?_

_And then, it hits him – What if Tyler thinks that he abandoned him?_

_As more and more of these musings invade his head, the more and more enraged he feels towards Gabriella. Not to mention, at this very moment, he feels so utterly helpless. _

"_I fucking need a drink," he says to himself._

_And so, an hour later, Troy Bolton is seated in a seedy bar in god-knows where in New York, clutching on to a glass of hard liquor. Troy Bolton is not a drinker. In fact, there's only so much alcohol his body can tolerate and at this instance, Troy has exceeded his limit and has lost his inhibitions along the way. _

"_You know, she left me, me -"_

_The bartender just nods his head, not that Troy would have noticed since he's focus is on the glass in his hand, "A son, can you believe it?", as if it's the glass that he is talking to. _

"_I need more of this," Troy brings the glass in front of his face and moves it side to side, "thing." _

"_Your glass is still half full," the bartender points out._

_Grinning, Troy slurs, "Nah, its already half empty. And besides, I have more money to pay for it."_

_Taking out his wallet, Troy throws a couple of twenty dollar bills on the bar counter. The bartender just rolls his eyes and says, "Keep it man."_

_Troy doesn't take no for an answer and soon starts slamming his glass onto the table, all the while shouting, "No. I want another one," he drowns the scotch in one drink and continues, "See, it empty. The fucking glass is empty."_

_He pauses for a moment and it seems all the irritation from before slowly leaves his body. Troy grins before calling out, "Psst, psst, bartender, another one."_

_The other occupants of the bar are increasingly amused by Troy's mood swings and antics but the same can't be said for the bartender. _

"_Seriously man, you've had enough to drink."_

_For a second there, the bartender thinks that the man in front of him is going to put up a fight but he just sighs dramatically and exits the bar – well, it is more like stumbles out of the bar, mumbling the words "Gabriella" and "Tyler" along the way. _

_Once he is out of the bar, Troy just wanders around before going on to a phone booth._

_He dials a familiar number and after a few rings, someone answers._

"_Hello?"_

_Troy sniggers, "Chad, its Troy dudddde -," before promptly hanging up the phone._

_He leaves the phone booth, foolishly chuckling and thinking that his prank call – if you can even call it that – is genius. _

:::Just a small town girl, livin in a lonely world:::

"_Nice tune," he says to himself._

:::She took the midnight train goin any -:::

_The sound stops._

_Troy continues to wander aimlessly. _

:::Just a small town girl, livin in a lonely world:::

_It takes awhile before Troy realizes that the sound is coming from him – his back pocket to be specific. Taking his phone out, he grins when he sees Chad's name on the screen. _

"_Guess whattttt, I have a son…"_

Still laying on the couch, Chad says, "Basically, you just spilled your guts, man. We had a nice bonding moment going there last night, as if we're a bunch of women consoling each other in a -"

Troy rolls his eyes.

"I'm meeting her today," Troy mumbles, "Gabriella, I mean."

The light mood in the room sombers immediately.

Sitting up, Chad reveals, "I still can't believe that my prediction all those years ago was true. I mean, running away because of a pregnancy, its totally something Gabriella wouldn't do."

"Well, believe it. She fucking hid my son from me." He angrily says.

If hearing it a million times last night did not fully convice Chad, seeing his distraught friend and hearing it from Troy's own lips is enough to cement the fact in Chad's head. As if it suddenly dawns on him, Chad says in awe, "You have a son, Troy."

Troy gives a tiny smile. "He looks like me. Same blue eyes, everything, minus the sandly blonde hair of course."

Chad asks the question that has been plaguing him since finding out about Tyler. "So what are you going to do, Troy?"

In a disheartened tone, Troy responds, "I don't know, Chad. I just don't know."

* * *

At exactly one o'clock, Troy, along with Chad, knocks on Ryan's apartment. They are greeted by Sharpay who isn't even fazed by Chad's appearance. Instead, she says a quick hello to Troy, motions him inside the apartment and drags a clueless Chad and a barking Bubba out of the apartment,

The departure of Sharpay and Chad leaves Troy alone with Gabriella. He sees her sitting on the couch. She didn't look nervous, unperturbed or unruffled even. In fact, there is a sort of eerie calmness about her. But upon closer inspection, Troy could see her unconscious biting of the lip and a slight tapping of a finger every now and then.

He takes a seat opposite to Gabriella before curtly saying, "I want answers."

Gabriella stares at the window before looking at Troy with those hazel brown eyes of hers, full of honesty and candor. She sighs and starts her side of the story.

"I've always ran away," she scoffs, "I've been running my whole life, Troy."

Unsure of where this is going, Troy, momentarily forgetting everything, says, "You can't help it if your Mom's job requires you guys to move a lot."

Gabriella brushes a strand of hair away. She speaks softly, "You don't get it. My mom is perfectly content with staying in one place. I'm the one who asks her for all those transfers."

It wouldn't be farfetched to say that Troy is completely confused and clueless at the moment, "Gabi?"

"She feels guilty that I grew up without a father and in her head, if I want to move, she'll let me. I took advantage of her, she never questioned why, she just asked her company and the next day, we're off to a new city. All my life, whenever things got tough, I ran away. Fifth grade, I came home crying and told my mom I hated my school. A week later, we moved to San Francisco. It became a pattern for me, to leave whenever I got hurt."

"I hated my father for running away and leaving me and my mom but I do the same thing. I did it to you. I did it to Taylor, to my mom, to Sharpay. I ran away because I was too afraid to face the possibility that you might hate the baby."

Letting out a frustrated sigh, he hiss, "And what made you think that?" Troy glares at Gabriella, "We've talked about our future, kids, the house with the white picket fence – so where the fuck did you get an idea like that?"

In near tears, Gabriella drops her eyes from his face and in a whisper she says, "You were sitting on the steps of your back porch. Jack was sitting next to you and you guys just finished shooting some hoops. I was scared enough as it is, telling you about the pregnancy and everything and I didn't want to interrupt you and your dad. Jack asked you about us, about our future and do you remember what you said?"

Running his hand over his head in obvious aggravation, he asks, "Gabi, what the hell does this have to do with…"

"Do you remember what you said?" Gabriella repeats with more force.

"Vaguely."

She looks him straight in the eye, "Well, I do. Your words haunt me, in my dreams, when I'm awake, everyday, I can't seem to get them out of my head…"

"_I love Gabi, I really do. And I know that you think that I'm too young to know what love really means but I know that she's it, Dad. She's the one I want to spend the rest of my life with." Troy sheepishly grins before continuing, "She makes me want to be a better man. For the first time, its not just about basketball. I want to be someone. Someone worthy of a person like Gabriella."_

_Jack Bolton stares at his son in awe, as if seeing him for the first time. _

_Jack and his wife had known how much Troy's relationship with Gabriella have changed their son for the better. Ever since meeting the brunette at the ski lodge, his grade are up. He stopped partying every weekend. He stopped participating in those foolish outings planned by Chad Danforth. Going to parties and coming home drunk were far and between. He actually started spending more time at home. For the first time, it seemed that Troy's life now had a purpose and Jack isn't foolish enough to think that Gabriella didn't play a huge role in his son's dramatic transformation. _

_But hearing his son say that he's already thinking of marriage at such a young age of eighteen is shocking and totally unexpected. Although, Jack is pretty sure that his wife Linda will argue that Troy and Gabriella were fated to be together and that marriage is naturally the next step for the two, their young age be damned. _

_Upon seeing his Dad's reaction – or lack thereof, Troy hurries on to add, "And I know you've brought me up with basketball ingrained in me and its still going to be. I love the game, Dad, its just now; I want something else to define who I am. I don't want to be the basketball guy anymore. I want to be something more."_

_To say that Jack Bolton is proud of his son is a complete understatement. _

_Jack smiles proudly at his son, "My boy, all I've ever wanted was for you to be happy. And I know that it might not seem that way sometimes but you have to know that whatever you do, your mom and I will always support you all the way," pausing, he grins, "Gabriella sure did change you huh?"_

"_Only for the better, Dad."_

"_I know I didn't approve of Gabriella before but for what its worth, I couldn't ask for a better future daughter in law."_

_Troy smiles widens. _

Troy stares at Gabriella, confusion obviously written on his face. He is silent for a moment, taking it all in before he explodes.

"And that made you leave because?"

Gabriella counters, "Because at that moment, I realized what the pregnancy would do to your future. You had many things going for you. Opportunities were coming left and right and in my head, I thought that if you knew about the baby…" Gabriella bites her lips and tries her hardest to keep her tears in bay.

"You had so many aspirations. So many dreams for yourself and I knew that I couldn't live with myself if I ruined that for you."

"You didn't have the right to choose for me!"

By now, tears are running down her cheeks. "I'm not going to have you resent me because I stopped you from becoming everything that you could become. I mean, look at you now."

"You're not taking credit for my success."

"I never said I am. But had I told you, things would have been a lot different."

He crudely laughs, "I didn't even go to Duke."

Shocked, "What?"

"Its funny that you didn't tell me about Tyler because you were scared that I would miss out on Duke but I ended up leaving Duke because of you in the end."

"Ryan never said anything." Gabriella mumbles.

"I stayed one semester and then I realized that everything I needed was back in Albuquerque." A subtle jab at Gabriella's departure.

From her seat, Gabriella can see Troy's fist tighten, an obvious sign that he is trying to hold his temper in check.

"Tr -"

"You had no right to make that decision for me."

"I did what I thought was right for us."

Scoffs.

"I did."

"Us? Us? You weren't thinking about us. You were only thinking about you. You fucking took the easy way out."

Now its time for Gabriella to scoff, "I wouldn't call the last six years easy, Troy."

"It didn't have to be. You didn't have to run away."

"And how did you imagine our life had I told you about the baby?"

Troy hesitates and it is obvious that he is unsure of how exactly the pregnancy would have changed his life back then.

"Lemme guess, I'll take the year off and you'll attend U of A. Our parents will help take care with babysitting while we're in school. We'll work part-time and -"

"But we could have made it work. I'm not saying it would have been easy but fuck, it's us, Gabriella. If anyone could have made it work, it would have been us."

"We were eighteen, Troy. No job, no savings whatsoever. We couldn't even support ourselves without our parent's help and scholarship money."

"We could have made it work," Troy repeats adamantly.

"Stop being such an optimistic ass." She glares at him.

"And be what? A pessimistic coward like you?" He glares right back. "You ran away from us. You didn't believe in me. You didn't love me enough to -"

"Oh gawd, Troy. I left because I love you way too damn much to ruin your life."

"Stop saying that. I lost five years of my son's life, Gabi. Five fucking years."

She wraps her arms around herself as tears trailed down her cheeks. "You think I didn't know? Every time I look into Tyler's eyes, all I see is you. I hate myself for taking his father away from him. I hate that you weren't there to see him say 'Dada' when I showed him your picture."

Gabriella breaks down as more and more tears run down her cheek. "I hate that I ruined this family the same way my dad ruined mine. You have no idea how hard it was for me to leave you. For the first time in my life, you made me want to stay put. You made me want to fight and not run away."

His features soften as he look at Gabriella cry her heart out. He resisted the urge to take her in his arms, to hold her and just make everything okay again.

"Well," he says, tearing his eyes away from him because seeing her broken hurt too damn much, "I guess I wasn't enough to make you stay."

Standing up, Gabriella rushes to Troy's side, "Look at me, you are enough, more than enough. I didn't deserve you. Back in high school, I hated it when your mom would thank me for changing you for the better. If they only knew how much you've changed mine. As corny as it may sound, my life started the moment I met you."

Against his better judgment, Troy brushes away the tears running down Gabriella's face.

He says softly, "Gabi…"

"All my life, I've been bullied, made fun of. I never felt accepted before I met you. I never thought that anyone could ever feel that way about me. I never thought I'd find love. You saw me, to you; I wasn't just some freaky math girl, some nerd who didn't have any friends. And the amazing thing is, in your eyes, I was beautiful, smart and -"

Instinctively, Troy says, "That's because you are."

Gabriella gives Troy a timid smile before going on to say in a very apologetic and dejected tone, "I can't change the last six years and no matter how much I regret my decision, I can't undo what I did. But you have to know, the thought of you… your smile, your touch…you're the reason that kept me going for these last six years."

Gabriella's weeping lessens. Troy glances down at her and tries to ignore the flood of pain that enters his system. He tries to ignore the ache in heart and the pressure of tears at the back of his eyes.

Taking his hands, Gabriella kisses both of them and looks Troy straight in the eyes, unmistakable love and regret are seen in those hazel brown eyes of hers.

"I love you. I never stopped loving you. And I'm sorry… I'm so, so sorry."

And with that, Troy Bolton takes Gabriella Montez back into his arms, holding onto her for dear life.

An hour later, with Ryan and Tyler in tow, Sharpay and Chad would enter the apartment to see Troy and Gabriella lying down on the sofa sleeping. Tyler would beam while the three adults would just look on in surprise.

Ryan would mutter an "about time" and quietly usher the other three out of his apartment.

Shortly thereafter, a worried Gerard will call Troy, efficiently disturbing the serene slumber that Troy and Gabriella found themselves in. Troy will wake up, smile and momentarily forgetting all the past transgressions, he will kiss Gabriella's forehead before a frown will settle on his face. He will cautiously try and leave the couch without waking Gabriella up but his efforts will prove to be futile because the moment he moves his arm, she will open her eyes and murmur a loving, "Troy".

Things between the two of them will soon become uncomfortable. Troy will answer the phone and leave the room while Gabriella, in turn, will get up and fix the mess they made on the living room. She will fidget until Troy comes back. He will excuse himself, citing some bullshit reason that they both know is crap. Troy will then promise to return so that he can finally meet his son and to finish his talk with Gabriella. After an awkward hug and goodbye, she is left all alone in the room.

Around 5:00 pm, the rest will return minus Chad (Troy called him the moment he left Ryan's apartment). They'll have dinner and try to not bring up Troy. That night, they will pretend that everything is going to be fine.

But it would be naïve for any of them to assume that everything will be okay, that its going to be smooth sailing here on out. Too much hurt, lies, secrets have happened for the last six years but if there's one thing that Ryan, Sharpay and even the skeptic Chad know, it is that if there is anyone who can overcome it all, its Troy and Gabriella.

* * *

To be honest, the ending of this chapter didn't go as planned. In the first draft, there were tons of drama and angst. Troy will storm off, angry and pissed as hell while Gabriella is left crying, again. And when I started revising it, the ending just took on a life of its own and I ended up with this mushy ending that totally doesn't fit my plans for the rest of the story. I guess this means that its back to the drawing board so I can plan the next few chapters.

Next chapter is flashbacks galore.

So, whatdya think? Comments? Suggestions?


	6. Living In Your Letters I

**_Important AN:_** To those who reviewed, thanks. I'm glad that you like the story so far. I didn't realize that the end of Chapter 5 had a tone of finality to it which confused some of you, so to clear it up, no, that wasn't the ending.

As for my updates - or lack thereof, I do want to say that in my defense, I am a full time college student. I work two jobs, volunteer and is a part of several groups, clubs and even student government. Not to mention all the family drama going on with heart attacks and estrangements, I barely have enough time to sleep. And yes, every chance I get, I do try to get as much done when it comes to writing this story. I am putting so much effort into this and I'll be the first to admit that my life and my responsibilities do take precedence over writing this.

As a writer, I don't want to rush a story that I've come to love. I don't want to update just for the sake of appeasing some upset readers. I want to submit chapters that I am proud of and yes, it takes me awhile but I'm not going to sacrifice the quality of the work that I'm doing just so I can submit a mediocre, haphazard chapter. I don't want to force myself into writing a new chapter because I believe that the outcome is going to be a piece of crap. Having said that, it might take awhile but I do promise to get this done. It may not be as fast as some readers would like but I am trying.

Onto the story, the whole chapter is just one giant flashback in a sense, so I hope that I don't confuse any of you.

_Disclaimer:_ I own nothing.

* * *

**Living In Your Letters I**

New York - April 20, 2013 (present)

The first thing Troy sees when he enters his hotel room is the moderately large box sitting in the middle of his living room. Curious but tired from his trip to the airport to drop Gerard off, he heads towards the bathroom to freshen up before investigating the mysterious box.

A few minutes later, he exits the bathroom, clad only in a towel. Seeing the box on his way to the kitchen, he calls the front desk and inquires about the box's origins. The manager just tells him that a young blonde lady stopped by a scant hour ago with a curly African American man carrying the box in tow. His curiosity gets the better of him so instead of putting on some clothes, he sits on the sofa and opens the box.

A quizzical expression washes over his face.

Inside the box, he could count at least four scrapbooks, two leather bound journals and tons of DVDs scattered here and there. A smaller box stands out and he opens it, only to find post it notes, napkins, newspapers clippings with writings on them. Taking one out, he reads, "_Third time I picked up the phone today and dialed your number. I hung up the minute you said Hello."_

His brows furrow and in an instant he recognizes the handwriting – Gabriella's. Troy looks around the living room until he sees a note lying on the floor, a few feet away from the box. He picks it up and glances through it.

After reading Gabriella's note, a weird sense of urgency overcomes him and for some odd reason, he starts to frantically search through the contents of the box, unsure of what he is looking for. The minute his fingertips touch velvet, he knew he found it. He hurriedly opens it, trying to find the journal entry following their high school graduation and starts reading, immersing himself in the world that he didn't get to be a part of, the life that could have been.

On the side, by the end table lies the note written by Gabriella.

_This won't make up for the last six years. It won't make up for the lies and mistakes I've made. I know it is difficult to understand and looking back on it, the reason why I left seem stupid and immature but I can't take it back even if I wish to. I can't replace the last six years but I hope this sheds some light on the millions of questions I'm sure you have. I hope the contents of this box will at least give you an idea, a glimpse into the world I took away from you. _

_I'm sorry. _

_Love, Gabriella._

* * *

_I've always been in control. I was in control of my studies, my hobbies, my time. My planner was filled with my to-do lists and my short and long term goals. Everything I did was predetermined, planned ahead of time with every possible outcome or consequence evaluated. Every decision was broken down into subcomponents and placed in numerous pro-cons lists. I always knew what was in front of me, every step, every decision, every turn. I wasn't a fan of the unknown. I wasn't a fan of surprises. "Planning" and "control" are the two words that held my world together. But it seems that after meeting Troy Bolton, that infamous control that I had seemed to be slowly slipping away. I didn't notice it at first. Minute changes that wasn't even worth mentioning or noticing. After meeting Troy Bolton, something in me changed. I still made lists. I still planned ahead. But it wasn't the same. For the first time, I wasn't worried about the future, about what lay ahead of me. For the first time, I was happy with living everyday as it came, I was happy with "right now". In my head, I ignored the little changes here and there, choosing to believe that I was still in control, holding onto that semblance of restraint that gave me a false sense of normalcy. However, when you add up all those minute changes, it culminated into the biggest change that completely and utterly stripped away all the control I had left. _

_I found out I was pregnant…_

She leans on her mother's bathroom door, anxiously waiting for the required and nerve-wrecking three minutes to pass. Three minutes, she only had to wait for three minutes and yet if feels like a lifetime.

She paces back and forth, taking a seat every now and then, glancing at the clock with the time **2:54 pm** seemingly mocking her. She takes a magazine and starts reading the first article she comes across to.

A mere second later, she is back to pacing.

**2:55 pm**

She starts organizing her mother's medicine cabinet but with her nervousness, she ends up making a mess in the process.

The young woman peeks at the clock.

**2:56 pm**

She takes a deep breath before making her way into the vanity counter in her mother's bathroom. A box is by the corner, its cover open and one of its two foiled wrapped packages still inside.

She glances outside the bathroom, trying to listen for some noise – for anything really. When all she hears is silence, she bends over the vanity of the sink, taking another calming breath before taking the test kit.

Eyes closed, she sends a prayer to the gods, to anyone up there listening.

_Please let it be white. Please let it be white._

Slowly opening her eyes, she sees her future flash before her in the form of the pink circle in the test kit. Gabriella sinks down onto the bathroom floor and starts crying, her hands clutching the pregnancy test close to her heart.

She stays in that position for god knows how long. Her tears have long since dried and Gabriella Montez just sits in her mother's bathroom, staring off into space, unmoving and paralyzed.

It is only when she hears the front door opening does Gabriella spring up from her position in the bathroom floor. She hurries to right the mess she made in her mother's bathroom and takes all the evidence from the room that might hint of her presence in her mother's room.

After depositing the pregnancy kit in her room and making sure it is hidden, she greets her mother and heads to the front door.

On her way out, her mother asks her where she is going but she just mumbles some asinine response, ignoring the worried look that settles on Maria Montez' face. She walks by the front yard, by her mother's flower bed. She cuts across her neighbor's yard, trespassing until she comes across the park. Gabriella walks faster and faster until she finally breaks into a sprint. Her breathing gets heavier but she forces herself to keep on going. Minutes, hours later, when she finds herself in the most secluded area of the park, she sinks down on her knees, grasps her stomach and begins to cry, for the future she could have had, for the disappointment she knew she is going to face from her mother, for the far fetched but potential possibility that Troy might abandon her and the baby. But most of all, she cries for the child she is crying because deep in her heart, she knows that at the tender age of eighteen, she is not ready to be a mother, she is not ready to give her baby the life that it deserved to have.

* * *

…_I grew up in a broken home. My father left my mother and me when I was ten. And even when he was still around, he'd always keep me at a distance. I've often wondered if my parents even loved each other. I knew I was a mistake, that I was an unplanned pregnancy. From the whispers and murmurs among my family, I found out that my mother became pregnant at a time when my parent's marriage had been on the brink of a divorce. I was suppose to be the glue that held their marriage together. They hoped to begin anew now that they had me. They thought that they can repair their broken marriage through me. But in that aspect I failed. _

_I don't remember much about my childhood. Scratch that, I don't _want_ to remember much about my childhood. From what my grandmother has told me, the first few years after I was born, everything seemed to be okay. They seemed to be working out their problems. But what she didn't know was that it was all a façade. The minute I learned to talk, the strains of their marriage started to become evident. By the time I entered kindergarten, they started to sleep in separate bedrooms – and they didn't even bother to hide it from me. But I was young and I didn't know any better. And by my seventh birthday, the shouting and the door slamming become an everyday occurrence. I was eight when I discovered the beauty and magic of books. It was my way of escaping my life. I became a bookworm and just surrounded myself with books, of the tales of the unknown, of stories with their happily-ever afters. And I may only be eight but I knew that my family life was not normal. It seemed everyone knew my family's business. We were the talk of the town. Some felt bad for me because I was stuck in the middle of this worsening marital relationship. Others, not so much. Some felt that my parents couldn't make a clean break from each other because they had me to consider if they would divorce. At nine, I learned to fend for myself whenever some bully would insult me and make fun of my parents. On the outside, I was stoic, apathetic and at the young age of nine, I was labeled the ice queen. But on the inside, my heart was breaking. Early on, I learned to build a wall around me, keeping everyone at a distance so I won't get hurt. I learned from the best right? I mean, if my parents could do it, then I could do it too. The wall started to crack when my father left. I was surprised this shaky and tense relationship lasted as long as it did. Maybe I should even be thankful that for the first ten years of my life, I had both of my parents there with me. They may argue all the time but at least they were there. But I'm not. I'm not thankful that for the first ten years of my life, I was front and center in seeing their marriage and my family break down._

_And when he left, just like that with no warning, no goodbye, something in me snapped. One glare, one insult sent me running. Like I said, I learned from the best. Maybe that's why I had to have control of everything around me. Because having control gave me a false sense of security. And when that control slipped through my fingers, I crumbled. I ran because it's the only way I knew how… _

"So, guess what I heard today?"

Gabriella wearily burrows into her bed, cradling the phone in her ear and trying to pay attention to whatever Sharpay is telling her.

"Michaela's pregnant." She continues, not even bothering to wait for Gabriella's response.

Upon hearing what Sharpay had just said, Gabriella immediately tenses and cautiously asks her friend for more details.

"Well, from what I've heard, Michaela and Bobby were too drunk to remember to use protection. It's stupid really. But I feel bad for Bobby."

Considering the fact that Michaela's situation hits too close to home, Gabriella immediately starts getting defensive. "Why? I feel bad for Michaela. I mean, she's the one who has to carry this baby for nine months. I mean, she's only eighteen and this pregnancy is going to change her whole life. But what about Bobby?"

She scoffs, "What about Bobby?! The guy had his whole life planned ahead of him. Let's be honest here Gabriella but between Michaela and Bobby, that guy has more chances of succeeding in whatever career he's pursuing. With this unwanted pregnancy, do you think that Bobby is still going to Cambridge? I think not. He's staying here, attend U of A and take a part time job at some crappy fast food place."

For the first time, since finding out about the pregnancy yesterday, Gabriella suddenly realizes the magnitude and gravity of her situation. And hearing Sharpay's assessment, he mind goes overdrive, evaluating how much this pregnancy will inevitable change their lives. And the more she thinks about her situation, the more freaked out she gets.

She ends, "Just like that, his whole life, his whole future, poof, gone. It's sad really. He's one of those guys who really had potential."

Hearing that, Gabriella finds herself answering, "Well, you never know. They could make it work. I…erm, Michaela can take the year off so she can take care of the baby. She can take online classes and Bobby can go to school and have a part-time job. I mean, this is Bobby we're talking about. He's like the boy version of me. He can work around this setback and -"

Apparently tired of Gabriella's overtly optimistic and unrealistic rant, Sharpay interrupts and says, "Let's be realistic here for just one minute Gabriella. This baby will change their lives forever. Nothing will ever be the same again. Sure, there is that tiny, tiny, tiny possibility that they could make it work but really, the odds are against them."

And with that, doubts about Troy, about her abilities at raising this child, about herself and about her relationship with Troy are planted in her head.

* * *

"Gabs, guess what I heard today?"

A few minutes later, after her conversation with Sharpay ended, her phone starts to ring again. Upon answering the phone, she hears Taylor's all-knowing tone in the other line.

Exasperated and tired, Gabriella sighs and utters, "Michaela's pregnant, I know, Tay."

Gabriella can just imagine Taylor's smile slowly transforming itself into a frown.

Taylor utters a curse and says, "Damn, Sharpay beat me to it."

She grins at her best friend's response and says, "You can't possibly compare yourself to Sharpay, Tay. We're talking about East High gossip queen bee here."

Taylor huffs in annoyance but then her mood suddenly seems to lighten. She excitedly states, "I bet she didn't tell you that Bobby freaked out and ran. Well, he didn't get far because Michaela's overprotective brother ran after him but poor Michaela. And from what Jasmine, Michaela's neighbor told me, it definitely made for an interesting afternoon in their neighborhood."

And the doubts immensely grow.

"Gabs, you still there?"

Jolting herself out of her reverie, Gabriella cautiously asks, afraid that the same thing will happen to her once she tells Troy, "So, Bobby left huh?"

"Yeah. Michaela broke up with him right after and their parents managed to make up a plan that will somewhat satisfy both parties. Bobby will still go to Cambridge and provide financial assistance while Michaela will take some online classes during her pregnancy. If you ask me, Bobby definitely got the better end of the deal…"

The topic of conversation changes but at the point, Gabriella barely hears anything Taylor is saying. The pregnancy and what it will do to her relationship with Troy are the only thoughts occupying her mind. And it would be complete understatement to say that Gabriella isn't freaking herself out with the path her thoughts are going.

* * *

A week after finding out that she is pregnant and scaring herself to death with the horrible scenarios her mind managed to conjure up, Gabriella finally musters enough courage to tell Troy about the baby. After a whole week of dodging and avoiding Troy, only talking to him on the phone because she fears that seeing Troy in person will send her running, she is more than ready to come clean, or at least, she _thinks_ she's ready.

As she makes her way to the Bolton residence, she manages to turn back at least three times, making some of Troy's neighbor's wary of her presence. Whenever a former classmate of her passes by on the street, she immediately tenses up, fearing that just by looking at her, they will be able to figure out that there is a baby growing in her stomach. After a thirty five minute walk to Troy's house (on any given day, it would only take her less than fifteen minutes), she finally makes it to the Bolton's front lawn.

She reaches their red front door, taking her time crossing the lawn and their front porch, one hand ready to press the doorbell but every time her fingers get close to the doorbell, she instantly drops her hand. And so, she just stands there.

Gabriella does not know how long she stood in front of the Bolton household but she does know that the minute she is about to go back home and try again another day, she comes face to face with Linda Bolton.

"Gabriella, hey. The boys must be in the back," juggling her briefcase and two brown grocery bags, Linda Bolton is the epitome of the successful modern day woman. She has a very successful career, a healthy relationship with both her husband and son – she basically has everything, "you know how the boys get when it comes to basketball. It's like everything else disappears."

Readjusting her hold on one of the bags, she states in that motherly voice of hers, "I hope you haven't been standing here for a long time. How many times have I told you that you don't need to even ring the doorbell. You practically live here anyways…"

Gabriella sends her a timid smile in response and moves in Linda's direction to help Troy's mother with her groceries. Linda mutters a thank you and proceeds to open the front door. For the next few minutes, both women work in silence putting the groceries away, making idle chat chit every now and then.

"Staying for dinner, Gabriella?" Linda asks as she is putting a tray of eggs in the fridge.

Gabriella just shrugs her shoulders in a noncommittal way and responds, "Depends…"

An indiscernible emotion passes over Linda's eyes and Gabriella sees a glint of understanding and worry and then realizing that Troy's mother chooses to ignore the silent and unspoken question that is laced with her simple answer. Instead of grilling Gabriella with questions, Linda just replies, "Well, feel free to stay. Although I can't guarantee that you'll have anything to eat with the way Jack and Troy eat nowadays."

They both share a smile at that.

"Do you need anymore help?" she asks politely.

Shaking her head no, Linda directs her attention to the dinner preparation, "I'm good." She waves her hand in a shoo-ing motion, "Go talk to Troy."

The moment Gabriella reaches the door leading to the backyard where the basketball court is located; Linda calls out, "And Gabriella, whatever it is, it's going to be fine."

And with that, Gabriella releases a long suffering breath that she didn't even know that she is holding in. Linda's calming words envelope her, giving her the much needed strength that seems to evade her when it comes to telling Troy about the pregnancy.

She makes her way to the backyard, passing the family den along the way. Once she reaches the French doors that lead to the outside, she slows down, hearing the muted masculine voices of Jack and Troy.

"I love Gabi, I really do. And I know that you think that I'm too young to know what love really means but I know that she's it, Dad. She's the one I want to spend the rest of my life with."

Gabriella can just imagine Troy sheepishly grinning while he utters those words. Hearing Troy's words, Gabriella couldn't help but smile like a fool, relishing in the temporary moment of happiness and joy that washes over her when Troy fervently exclaims his plans for their future.

Troy's voice gets a little louder as he continues, "She makes me want to be a better man. For the first time, it's not just about basketball. I want to be someone. Someone worthy of a person like Gabriella."

His strong convictions and desire to be someone worthy tugs painfully at Gabriella's heartstrings. All her life, she wasn't surrounded by love and devotion, she didn't grow up with doting parents and she certainly didn't experience romance during her teenage years. So to hear Troy unwaveringly assert his desire to be someone worthy, just for her, of all people results in some mix emotions for Gabriella.

She beams at Troy's declaration of love but that moment of happiness is immediately replaced by the realization that once Troy finds out about the baby, everything will change. His dreams of attending Duke and playing for the Blue Devils will be on shaky ground. His aspirations, his goals will be hampered by this irrevocable change that is about to happen. And the fear that the pregnancy will ultimately ruin Troy's dreams overwhelms her, surpassing all logical thoughts that would otherwise show her that despite the gravity of her situation, Troy will be there for her in the end.

"_Just like that, his whole life, his whole future, poof, gone. It's sad really. He's one of those guys who really had potential_."

Sharpay's words haunt her, drowning out the other part of herself, the rational one that screams that she is just overreacting and not thinking clearly. But Gabriella ignores this, choosing to disregard her rational side and concentrate on the negative side of things, choosing to freak herself out.

For a moment, no one speaks until Gabriella hears Troy add, "And I know you've brought me up with basketball ingrained in me and it's still going to be. I love the game, Dad, its just now; I want something else to define who I am. I don't want to be the basketball guy anymore. I want to be something more."

Cautiously peering by the French doors, she sees Jack smile proudly at his son and saying, "My boy, all I've ever wanted was for you to be happy. And I know that it might not seem that way sometimes but you have to know that whatever you do, your mom and I will always support you all the way," pausing, he grins, "Gabriella sure did change you huh?"

"Only for the better, Dad." Troy's smile is full of pride and instead of feeling pleased and happy, Gabriella only frowns.

"I know I didn't approve of Gabriella before but for what its worth, I couldn't ask for a better future daughter in law."

The tears that she is trying vainly to hold in check flows freely down her cheeks by the end of Jack's and Troy's conversation. She quietly exits the house and right then and there, while she is walking home, Gabriella promises herself that she will not be the one that will lead to Troy Bolton's failure.

* * *

_In school, the teachers adored me; I was the perfect student in their eyes. The student body on the other hand hated me, okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration but at times, it sure felt like it. I didn't fit in any group. Not even with the so-called nerds. But despite all these, no one thought I was a failure. Despite the 'freaky math girl' name calling and the snide remarks, no one thought of me as a failure. They just hated me because I got higher grades than them without even trying. _

_Strangely enough, I saw myself as a failure. Why? It was ingrained in me, that is why. In a drunken stupor, my father said that I failed in my only purpose in this world. I was suppose to heal their marriage and I failed at that. He wanted to make it work with my mother and I guess, being called a failure is a small price to pay in knowing that no matter how messed up it is, my father did love my mother. _

_When things didn't work out between the two of them, my father was bitter that the last ten years of his life was spent in vain, that it was wasted on a broken marriage and a child that he didn't even want. I fooled myself into thinking that it was the alcohol talking. But I knew that I was lying to myself. I never did tell my mother. She had too much to deal with, with the divorce and all. So I bottled it in. I told no one. _

_That is until I met Troy. We've only been dating for a month and with one look, I was spilling all my secrets. And when my rant ended, I was drained. I felt empty and whole at the same time. And then I felt scared. I was afraid that he'll finally realize how damaged I really am. But instead, he looked at me with those beautiful blue eyes of his and wiped away my tears. He looked at me and said the words that mean more to me than all his "I love you's" combined. He directed me in front of the mirror and asked me what I saw. I was about the retort some insult or another when he held my hand and said that in his eyes, I was the bravest person he's ever met, that I was beautiful with the soul of an angel. And I knew that at that moment, on a windy day in Albuquerque, that Troy Bolton is the one. The memory was forever ingrained in me because for the first time, I felt accepted, I felt what it means to be loved. So when my mom suggested that we leave Albuquerque, I put up a fight and told her I will stay. That I will work things out and everything will be okay in the end because I had Troy…_

_Despite my earlier misgivings and freaks out, I realized that come what may, it will work out in the end. Because we're Troy and Gabriella. I made up my mind and resolved to tell Troy everything, about the baby, about my fears, everything. And from there, we'll figure out a way, together. _

_Well, that's what should have happened. I should have stayed. I should have told Troy. But instead, my mother's words only added to my fears and my doubts. I was a coward. I am a coward. So when she told me she got a job transfer, I took the easy way out and as I was boarding the plane to Chicago, deep, deep down, I knew I was making a mistake, one that I will regret forever. But that regret was soon buried along with the other regrets and mistakes from my past because as usual, cowardice took over…_

* * *

Okay, this was a lot more melodramatic and darker that I planned. I started off with a mild angsty diary entry and instead, I ended up with this. Sadly, I do have to admit that it feels disconnected with the other chapters, at least when it comes to the tone and mood of the story so I do apologize. I was planning on rewriting it, lightening them mood somewhat but I just loved this chapter so I couldn't bring myself to rewrite it. haha.

Anyways, reviews are love. And sorry for the long author's note. **Living In Your Letters II** will be up in a week.


	7. Living In Your Letters II

_AN:_ Wow, its been a long time…

I'm not even going to apologize for the lateness of this chapter because my apologies already feel like a broken record. Basically, I was done with Chapters 7 and 8, yes I was ahead this time but sadly, my laptop crashed and they couldn't retrieve any of my old files. I was disheartened by the thought of starting over again so it took awhile to find the passion to rewrite said chapters. It didn't help that I was in the middle of finals and now, I'm taking summer classes and working two jobs. Dead tired doesn't even begin to describe my current state these days. But I did promise that I'll finish this and I always keep my promises. And besides, this story is coming to a close anyways; two to three more chapters to go so hang in there, for those of who are still interested and still reading this story. I'm just trying to get my groove back…

Anyways, this is the continuation to the last chapter, again, its one giant flashback.

Enjoy.

_Disclaimer:_ I own nothing.

* * *

**Living in Your Letters II**

_When I was ten, shortly after my father left, I made a promise to myself that when I'm older and the time comes for me to have kids of my own that I wouldn't let the past repeat itself. I wouldn't subject them to the pain of seeing their parents fight, the pain of seeing their mother crumble to the ground while their father stormed out of the house in rage. I promised myself that I wouldn't give up when the going gets tough because my children didn't deserve that. They didn't deserve to be stuck in the middle, unsure of what to do, how to act and who to turn to. I promised myself that when the time came, I would cherish and treat my kids like the princes and princesses that they are. _

_In the same vein, I promised Troy the future. I promised him the whole and he did the same and more. I made a lot of promises and in one sweep motion; I broke almost all of them. Promises are meant to be broken right?_

Suffice it to say, the trip to the Bolton's didn't go as planned. Gabriella heads back home, tears rolling down her cheeks and unsure of what to do. By the time she reaches her front porch, the tears have long dried and her resolve to not ruin Troy's failure is only fortified with each step she took, backed by Troy's proclamation and Sharpay's words.

She opens the front door and immediately, an odd sense of foreboding overcomes her. The usual hum of activity in the kitchen is nonexistent. Her mother's soft voice singing along the radio as she prepared dinner is replaced by an eerie stillness.

"Mama, I'm home." She shouts and receives no response.

Trying to shrug it off, she walks to the round table in the foyer to check the mail. It doesn't take long for the silence to unnerve her, prompting Gabriella to leave mail sorting for later and find her mother instead.

Gabriella goes to the kitchen and sees the makings of their dinner, unfinished. She then enters her mother's office only to see it empty, the glare of the computer light painfully bright against the dimly lit room. Heading upstairs, she sees the laundry basket in the hallway.

"Mom? You here?"

Still no response.

Gabriella is about to call her mother's cell phone when she sees that her bedroom door is open. And at that instant, she has an odd inkling as to the reason of her mother's strange behavior. She slowly heads into her bedroom and as suspected; her mother is sitting in her bed, eyes downcast and her body tense.

The box of pregnancy test lies haphazardly on the floor, its contents in stark contrast to the dark mahogany floors.

Without looking at Gabriella, Maria Montez murmurs, "Please tell me you're not pregnant."

Gabriella nervously bites her lips in response.

Still not taking her eyes from the pregnancy box, Maria repeats with more force, "Tell me that my responsible and sensible daughter is not stupid enough to get pregnant." Looking at her daughter, she continues, "Please tell me that it is just a pregnancy scare."

When Gabriella does not say anything, Maria stands up and nearly shouts, "Say something!"

Gabriella's eyes moisten and her lips quiver.

"I'm sorry, Mom."

And that's when all hell breaks loose.

"Oh my god. Oh my god." Maria repeats for several more times as she paces around Gabriella's room. As each minute passes, she becomes more frantic. Panic soon turns into worry but that is immediately replaced by anger.

"What the hell where you thinking?" She scoffs and then says, "Wait, you weren't thinking."

"What about school? Becoming a doctor? A lawyer? Your future? Oh my god, your future, you had so many dreams and aspirations" she continues on in distress.

"Mom, calm down."

The instant those words come out of Gabriella's mouth, Maria stops pacing and glares at her daughter before she completely explodes.

"Calm down?!"

Gabriella cringes.

"Calm down huh? I just found out that my daughter is pregnant. Pregnant!"

Gabriella laughs disdainfully and the beginnings of tears slowly form. "I know. You don't need to remind me. I know that I'm pregnant. I know that my future is in jeopardy, in fact, I don't even know if I even have a future. I know that all my plans went down the drain. And you know what, Ma, I don't know what the hell I'm going to do. I know all that. I'm pregnant, not stupid."

Maria's glare softens but she maintains her stony facial expression.

"What about Troy? Does he know?"

Gabriella shakes her head no.

"What are you going to do, Gabi? Troy is not ready for this. **You're** not ready for this."

Running her fingers in her hair in obvious aggravation, Gabriella replies, "Would you stop. I know. You don't need to keep repeating it. There's nothing we can do about the situation" touching her stomach, she continues, "The baby's already here."

A contemplative look passes over Maria's face. A moment later, in a suggestive manner, she cautiously says, "Well, there's always -"

Before she could even finish her sentence, Gabriella cuts her off, understanding where her mother's train of thought is heading. She glowers at her mother before adamantly stating, "No. You hear me, no. This baby may be unplanned and yes, I'm not ready for this pregnancy. I don't know what the hell I'm doing but abortion is out of the question."

Maria in turn jeers, "Do you think that Troy is ready to be shackled with a baby at his age? Do you think that he wants this baby?"

"Troy is not like Dad, Ma."

"Then why haven't you told him?"

Gabriella looks away and Maria uses her daughter's reaction to her advantage.

"Think about you future, Gabi. Think about Troy's. How are you going to school with a baby on the way, huh?"

"Lots of teenage mothers do it."

Maria is open to about her mouth when Gabriella forcibly reiterates, "I'm not giving up this baby. No abortion. Not even adoption. I can make it work."

At that moment, Maria realizes the magnitude of her daughter's assertion. Her use of "I" is indicative of her plans and Troy isn't in it.

Dejectedly, Maria sighs and utters, "I'll call my company." She leaves the room without looking back.

For a moment, a mere second, Gabriella hesitates. A protest is lodged at the tip of her tongue. A declaration that she'll stay in Albuquerque and work things out with Troy. But that moment passes as immediately as it came. And in the end, she heads to her closet, takes out her luggage and starts packing. Nine hours later, Maria gets the confirmation of her transfer request. The following day, the Montez house is put on the market while the mother and daughter duo heads up to Chicago, taking only their essential belongings with them.

* * *

…_I left my mother the same way I left my Troy and the others. It seems that I'm becoming more and more like my father as each new day passes. A huge part of me hoped that my mother would be supportive but it seems that she couldn't get pass the fact that her perfectionist valedictorian daughter wound up pregnant at eighteen. In her mind, she thinks that I threw away my life and my future and in the heat of the argument, the world abortion was dropped one too many times to my liking. _

_Living in Chicago took a toll on me. Not physically, but emotionally, everyday was a battle. Coming home, the tension in the house is so palpable it hurts. I'd be the first to admit that my mother and I didn't have the best and closest relationship but in the end, all we had were each other. And in my naïve mind, I thought that was enough, that she will see that and we'll overcome this hurdle together. But alas, my hopes were futile! I may not tell her all my secrets but through the years, especially after my father left, we've come to an understanding and at a point in our relationship, things were looking up for us, we were getting closer in terms of our mother and daughter dynamics. The time in Albuquerque did us some good and I guess all that progress when down the drain the moment she found out about my pregnancy or what she repeatedly calls my "stupid, reckless, fucked-up mistake". Our dinner conversations were filled with artfully crafted insults and thinly veiled jabs at our past mistakes. It was a battleground with no clear winner in sight. The insults I could take. Years of being bullied in school has given me a tough skin.. But the indifference – her indifference towards my baby was what hurt me the most... _

"I'll see you on Monday, Mrs. Smith."

"Yeah. I'll see you bright and early, Gabriella. Have a great weekend."

With a tentative grin, Gabriella waves goodbye and opens the front door to the tiny downtown office she works at. As she steps out into the street, the cold wind greets her. Compared to the rain or shine weather in New Mexico, Gabriella isn't quite used to the weather in Chicago despite living here for close to three months now. In retrospect, the autumnal weather does fit her mood. A sort of melancholy seems to surround her these days and sure enough, as the skies turn grey, so does her disposition.

Being pregnant at eighteen isn't easy. Being pregnant at eighteen and having an unsupportive mother and leaving the father of said unborn child is even harder. But times like these, as she takes the routine scenic road back to her house, Gabriella's mood turns more optimistic. Despite the dreary weather conditions, the walk back home gives Gabriella a moment of reprieve, a chance to re-energize and calm herself before everything goes south the minute she enters her house. To say that her mother is angry is an understatement. It is more of a good mix between anger, disappointment, fear, regret and frustration all rolled into one. And the minute Gabriella enters her front door, Maria's glare is fixed on her. Conversations only occur when necessary. In fact, calling it a conversation is far-etched even since it's more like a one-sided conversation-slash-demand really. Maria says something. Gabriella listens with an inward rolling of the eyes. End of conversation.

"_Pick up the clothes at the dry cleaners on your way home, Gabriella_."

"_Buy the groceries, Gabriella_."

"_Just make your own dinner, Gabriella_."

"_I'm working late tonight, Gabriella_."

"_Had a good night sleep? Bad? Good? Okay. Breakfast's on the table."_

And when a real conversation actually does happen, it doesn't take long before insults start flying back and forth. It is common in the Montez household nowadays.

Gabriella reaches the loft in record time, and with a sigh, she takes out the key in her purse, weary of what is to come the moment she opens the door.

As she goes in, she sees her mother cooking dinner in the kitchen. Placing the keys on the living room coffee table, Gabriella calls out to her mother and as usual, receives a grumble in return.

She takes off her jacket, hangs it in the closet and heads off to the kitchen.

"Need help?" Gabriella asks with a cautious smile.

With a clipped tone, Maria responds with a curt "No."

Gabriella sighs before going on to say, "Mom, come on. We can't keep doing this forever. You can't avoid this pregnancy. You have to talk to me one of these days."

Maria continues to stir the pot as she replies, "Well, today's not one of _those_ days."

"Mom?!"

"Gabriella, I'm cooking." A hint of warning is unmistakably injected in that simple sentence.

Fed up with the situation, Gabriella all but screams, "This," pointing at her growing belly, "isn't going to go away any time soon. We can't **not** talk about this issue."

Sending her daughter a glare, Maria turns the stove off and wipes her hand in her apron. "Oh, you want to talk? Fine, let's talk about how you wasted your future -"

Scoffs, "Not this again."

Maria laughs scornfully, "Well, that's the crux of the matter isn't it. You're eighteen. You're pregnant with no father in sight. You're working as a secretary instead of attending Yale. You're -"

Gabriella interrupts once again, "This is **my** life. **My** choices, **my**, how did you put it, fucked-up mistakes. And I am doing the best possible thing that I can do for my baby. I'm not taking the easy way out and running away from my responsibilities. I'm doing everything I can, Mom, and I need you."

Turning away from Gabriella, Maria murmurs, "When your father left us, I promised myself to give you everything, to make up for your father's absence. We are a broken family, Gabriella. And when I see you now, I see myself all those years ago. A single mother who had no one to turn to. And that's something I never wanted for you. You were supposed to have everything, the career, the white picket fence with a charming husband. You weren't supposed to be a teenage mother. You were supposed to have a better life than me. Its all I ever wished for you. But looking at you, I can't help but think I failed."

Lips quivering and tears running down her cheeks, Gabriella can only respond with a despondent, "Oh, Mama."

"I love you, Gabi." Maria walks up to Gabriella and wipes away her daughter's tear-laden cheeks, "I do but this, your baby, is something I'm having a hard time accepting. And that might make me a bad mother but I can't do this. Seeing you, it feels like I'm reliving those years with your father again. That feeling of failing and knowing that you're not my little girl anymore. You're going to be a mother. And I have to let you live your life. I have to let you go."

"Mama?"

"I failed you, Gabi."

"Mama, don't say that. You gave me everything I ever asked for. Now me, on the other hand, I disappointed you. I'm sorry, Mama."

"Come here." Taking Gabriella into her arms, Maria cradles her daughter as they both cried in the middle of the kitchen.

Come morning, Maria Montez will go in her daughter's room and find it empty. A letter on top of the bed lies waiting for her and as she reads it, worry soon envelopes her. Upon finishing the letter, she'll clutch it to her chest tightly and stare off into space, staying in that position for a long while.

A few hours later, in the middle of a meeting, her phone starts ringing and upon answering it, Gabriella's voice greets her.

"Ma, I'm in New York…"

* * *

_I was alone. Correction, I am alone. _

_Actually, come to think of it, Tyler is with me, inside of me so I guess I'm not that alone. It is too early to tell but I know with all my heart that my baby's going to be a boy. Chuck it up to mother's intuition but I just know that it's a boy. _

_It's weird, thinking of myself as a mother. The concept of motherhood had always held its allure. The idea of a child of my own was an abstraction that I kept in the far, far, far future. But now that he is here, after my temporary bouts of confusion and fear, hope and wonder slowly settled in. Everyday is a new discovery. Morning sickness came and went. Thank god. The cravings were there to stay, at least for the remainder of my pregnancy. Instead of being afraid of the unknown, with no one to guide me, no one to hold my hand and tell me what to do when my baby eventually comes, there's no fear. Only an unexplainable emotion that seems closely akin to love but so much greater, an emotion that is so overpowering and all-too consuming that worrying never really had any place in my life. I had a human being growing inside of me and everything else just seemed insignificant. There was no fear or panic. I just left my mother. I'm in a strange city where I knew absolutely no one (Ryan and Sharpay doesn't really count considering I indirectly ran away from them in the first place). I only have close to two thousand dollars in my savings account, I have no idea where I'm going and what I'm doing next, but I'm not scared. _

_Right now, the safety of Tyler is top priority. Fear has to take a backseat. And as long as Tyler is safe, the overtly optimistic part of me thinks that everything is going to work itself out in the end. Maybe a part of it is, is that I'm still in the confines of the JFK airport. Maybe it is because I haven't actually stepped foot in New York City but in my seat in the baggage claim area, all is well. Or at least, as well as it can be all things considered. And in my seat, with one hand clutching onto my suitcase and the other holding onto my book bag and teddy bear, I am about to meet two people that will change my life. _

_And for someone who thrives on control, these past couple of months where one life changing moment heralded another, I've been surprisingly calm…_

Gabriella Montez, fresh from a flight from Chicago to New York, stares blankly at her surroundings. Her luggage, one backpack and another moderately-sized bag, lies on her feet while her purse, teddy bear (a one-month anniversary gift from Troy) and the New York Times are on her lap.

Biting her lip, she turns her attention back to the paper and starts browsing through the classified section of the newspaper, looking for… well, looking for something, an apartment for rent, a job, anything really.

She landed in JFK International Airport two hours ago. The first thirty minutes was spent on freshening herself up and then getting her luggage from the baggage claim area. And then, the last hour and a half was spent just sitting. And waiting for god knows what.

Observing the other passengers waiting for their flight, Gabriella takes note of a couple of teenagers obviously en route to some fieldtrip or another with a female teacher trying to keep them in check, an elderly couple sitting in front of her who, oddly enough, seems to be staring at her and several other individuals drinking coffee, talking on their cell phones or typing away in their laptops.

She looks back down again at the newspaper in her hands before dramatically sighing. At the corner of her eye, she notices the elderly couple stand up and start heading her way.

Holding more tightly to her purse and teddy bear, Gabriella looks up right as the couple stops right in front of her.

She smiles cautiously.

They openly smile in return. The elderly man, who looks to be about in his mid-sixties says, "We're waiting for our grandson's flight and we've been sitting here for a good hour now and we couldn't help but notice…"

His wife butts in, "Dear, your ride not here yet?"

Stammering, Gabriella responds, "Uh.. umm… you see, no one's really coming."

The couple consequently looks at Gabriella's luggage on the floor and obvious pity washes over their expression. The old woman sits by Gabriella and takes her hand, "Did you run away from home, honey?"

Mortified, the man remarks, "Sarah?!" Looking at Gabriella, he smiles ruefully and starts apologizing.

"It's okay. And I didn't run away exactly," Gabriella says grimacing.

Thirty minutes later, Gabriella ends up telling her life story to these two compassionate elderly couple.

"So, after that emotional conversation with my mother, I packed my bags and here I am. In New York. Homeless. And totally unsure of what to do and where I'm going."

Mark and Sarah Forester, Gabriella finally asks for their names while in the middle of her long story, looks sympathetically at her. Suddenly, as if a light bulb goes off in her head, Sarah beams, "Why not stay with us? I mean, we live in this huge apartment and it's just us and sometimes, on weekends, our grandson too," she stops and looks alarmingly at her watch, "Oh, honey, Matthew?"

With a smile, Mark pats his wife's hand and says, "His flight got delayed, heard it from the intercom."

Sarah puts a hand on her chest in obvious relief before continuing, "Well, as I was saying, you could stay with us, if it is okay with your mother of course."

Unsure, Gabriella hesitantly says, "I… I wouldn't want to impose."

This time, it is Mark who answers, "Please, our grandson's only visiting for the weekend and after that, it's just the two of us again. Two old couple living by themselves…"

"And if you're worried about work, we run this bookstore and you can help."

"You don't even know me. How do you know I won't turn up into some serial murderer or some random chick who robs you while you-"

"Gabriella, dear, we've been on this world for a good sixty years now and we've always been a good judge of character. And besides, you remind us greatly of our daughter." Sarah says.

"Are you a serial killer?" Mark blandly asks.

"No."

"Are your some random girl out to rob us blind?"

"No."

"So what do you say, Gabriella?"

Gabriella looks back and in forth between Sarah and Mark, confusion and indecision apparent in her face.

"Well, I guess… I mean, if you're sure… My mom would certainly be relieved…"

Clapping her hand in satisfaction, Sarah smiles, "Ooh, wait till you meet Matt. You two will get along fabulously…"

* * *

_When I left Albuquerque six months ago, I never entertained the notion that I will ever see any of my friends again. Sure, Sharpay and Ryan are staying in New York but the odds of seeing them, considering where I live and all, are slim to none. For a time, that mentality held strong. Brooklyn seemed like a world away from the Evans' homes in the Upper East Side. And even Forester's Bookstore, the quaint and homey place where I worked, isn't the type of scene the Evans would find themselves in. So while the rest of the world moved on, while Troy attended Duke and pursued his dreams, while Taylor and the rest of em' lived their lives to the fullest, I lived mine in the humble abode and nurturing environment that the Forster surrounded me with. I talked to my mother every now and then. And our relationship wasn't as strained as before. I easily made friends with Matt, Mark and Sarah's grandson. He's older than me by a good four years and in him I found the older brother I have always wanted. _

_My days were filled with chaos and noise – one that I was eternally grateful for. I spent most of my time helping Mark and Sarah with the bookstore. And being the geek that I am, I couldn't stay away from school too long. I enrolled in some online classes that the local college provided, not exactly Yale material but its better than nothing right. I filled my days with endless activities, never stopping. A part of me believed that my desire to occupy my time with work, school and other activities is because I was doing it for the baby and his future. But I knew that the moment I stopped, the moment I took a breather and actually focused on the world around me, everything will come crashing down. Troy, my mother, my mistakes, my regrets – all of them will start piling up. And I didn't want to deal with that, I didn't want to have the time to fully realize the ramifications of the mistakes I've made, I didn't want to come to grips to the life I lost. And I know that I was deluding myself but its better than realizing how broken I truly am. _

_So I buried Albuquerque in the deepest part of me but I guess Albuquerque didn't like that because the moment I felt that all is well, it comes running back to haunt me. Well, I wouldn't exactly call it running, more like stalking really when Ryan Evans appeared. To make the long story short, I wouldn't exactly call our meeting joyous. I screamed, I cried, I pleaded and I threatened - all that things that one could say were Ryan's weaknesses. The threat of me running away was enough to make Ryan shut up and ultimately secure a promise from him that he'll never tell anyone. Another underhanded action of mine that I'll always regret - allowing Ryan to get involved in my mess. But oh, what a beautiful mess it was because it resulted to the most wonderful thing that ever happened…_

"Sarah, really, I'll be fine."

A worried look passes over Sarah Forster's face, as if Gabriella's assertion, instead of calming her, only troubled her more.

"Are you sure, dear? I mean, we can stay, right, Mark?"

Looking at Gabriella and smiling, Mark places a reassuring pat in his wife's back and says, "Dear, I'm sure Gabriella will be fine. We're only going to be away for the weekend."

"But she's nearing her due date, Mark."

Gabriella says, "Sarah, I'm still two weeks away from giving birth. I'll be fine, really."

"But -"

Both Gabriella and Mark roll their eyes playfully at Sarah's concern.

Taking Sarah's hand, Gabriella assure her once again that everything will be fine while trying to usher them out of the apartment so they can finally head off to the airport.

"…besides, Ryan's still in the city. So if anything happens, I'll call him. And, its been two months since you guys have seen Matt."

"Matt will still be there today, tomorrow, a week from now," Sarah argues.

Gabriella just laughs before resuming their walk to the taxi cab waiting in front of their building.

A few more minutes of cajoling, both Mark and Gabriella finally convince Sarah that everything will be fine.

Giving Gabriella a hug, Sarah smiles and says, "How about coming with us, Gabi?"

"I don't think the doctor would like that, so close to my due date and all."

Sarah's smiles turns into a frown, " I have a bad feeling about this."

Mark, seemingly fed up with his wife's unease, more or less steers Sarah inside the taxi cab.

In a lighthearted tone, he says to his wife, "Would you please stop worrying? Nothing bad is going to happen. Ryan's here. And pretty much all our neighbors are more than willing to lend Gabi a hand if something happens."

"He's right, Sarah. I'm going to be fine. So, please, just enjoy yourselves," patting her protruding belly, "I doubt this little one will pop out anytime soon."

"Well, if you're sure…"

"I'm more than sure. Don't worry, I'm a big girl. I'll be fine. And say hi to Matt for me, okay."

Finally, after much persuading, Mark and Sarah head off into the airport. Gabriella shakes her head in amusement at Sarah's concern before walking - more like waddling really, inside their apartment building.

Three hours later, after eating her dinner, Gabriella settles into the couch to catch up on her reading. But it seems that her baby had other ideas. Because the minute Gabriella picks up her book, she feels pain in her lower back. She bites her lips before slowing standing up and walking - thinking that the ongoing contractions are just irregular ones.

"Braxton Hicks. Braxton Hicks. Please be Braxton Hicks." She mumbles to herself as she walks around the living room. Forty five minutes later, when the contractions haven't slowed down and becomes more painful, Gabriella immediately calls Ryan, only to hear his voicemail answer and suddenly remember that it is final's week.

No help there.

"Just breathe. Breathe. Your water didn't break -" Looking down, she sees a wet spot on the floor, "… yet."

For a minute, panic overcomes her and she is unsure of what to do. She contemplates calling Mark and Sarah but knows that it will be vain since they are half way across the country. She mentally makes up a check list of the things she has to do: call taxi, bring pregnancy bag, leave Ryan, her mother and Forster's a message, make sure all burners are turned off, lock the house.

Gabriella closes her eyes while clutching onto the sofa chair. She breathes in and out, trying to relax herself. The second she feels that she's calm enough to do this, she takes her cell phone and calls the taxi agency. After giving her address, Gabriella unhurriedly carries her pregnancy bag and heads down her building, leaving a message on Ryan's, her mother's and the Forster's voicemail.

Given the lateness of the hour, she isn't surprised to see that the lobby is empty, except for Bernard, the building's doorman.

The minute he sees Gabriella, face in pain, he immediately comes forward and helps her to a lobby chair.

"Gabi, you're not due for another two weeks? Do you want me to call Mark and Sarah? Or Ryan? Your mother? A taxi?", Bernard frantically asks.

She takes a deep breath before answering, "Seems the little guy here takes up after his father, always ahead of time," Gabriella grimaces in pain and grasps her stomach, "And no to the other three questions, I already called them. The taxi should be here any minute now."

A honk is heard outside.

"See, right on time", she sends Bernard a smile as he helps her up from the chair and escorts her out of the building. He cautiously hands Gabriella inside the taxi cab.

Moving to the driver's side, he more or less threatens the taxi driver, "You take care of this gal here, you hear me? Drive safely and to the nearest hospital okay."

Hearing this, Gabriella smiles - albeit a somewhat forced one and thanks Bernard for his help.

A second later, she's on her way to the hospital and practicing her breathing exercises along the way.

She wasn't panicking yet - not when the taxi driver leads her into the ER or when the pain becomes so grueling that she couldn't even stand up by herself.

But the reality of the situation only sets in the minute the nurse helps Gabriella into a wheelchair and takes, pries really, her pregnancy bag away from her.

"Dear, you might want to let go now," the nurse says softly.

Gabriella closes her eyes and bits her lip as another wave of contractions passes. The second it subsides, she eases her grip and lets the nurse take the bag away from her. Taking a quick glance at the nurse's badge, she smiles and says, "Thanks Annie."

"How'd you -", guessing the question, Gabriella points to the nurse's badge and sends Anne a rueful smile.

Annie laughs in response and starts to wheel Gabriella outside of the emergency room and into the maternity ward.

To Gabriella, the moment she sits down and is wheeled away, everything is a blur. Oh, she remembers the pain alright but aside from that, the following sixteen hours are just a mixture of contractions, screams, tears and a string of curses that would have made Chad Danforth proud.

Gabriella vaguely remembers asking Annie to call her mother. She vaguely remembers screaming for Troy Bolton during the exhausting twelve hours of labor. In the midst of the pain, her first real recollection from that day are the cries of someone other than her own. And through the fog of tears that cloud her vision, she glimpses a blue-eyed boy before her vision goes dark.

* * *

"Ready to meet your little boy?" Annie asks as she enters the room with the said baby cradled in her arms.

Gabriella's eyes widen the moment she sees her baby, wrapped in a fluffy baby blue blanket before her eyes start to water.

"Oh, dear. I didn't mean to make you cry."

Gabriella just chuckles, waves her hand as if saying its nothing and signals for Annie to bring her baby to her.

Annie carefully places the baby boy in Gabriella's arms and smiles at the picture the mother and son portrays.

"So, what's the name? Because this little tyke has gone far too long without a name, the visitors and nurses in the nursery have named him 'blue-eyed boy'," she grimaces before continuing, "Granted, its not the most unique name but it fits, you know."

Looking at Gabriella, Annie notices that the girl wasn't even paying attention, all her focus is on her boy, an enigmatic smile gracing her face as she watches her baby sleep.

"_Who would have thought that East High's resident 'freaky-math girl' is an avid fan of Fight Club?" _

_Snorts. "Please, Troy. The book is a dark satire at its finest. And the movie, it has freaking Brad Pitt playing my favorite character. Need you even wonder why I love Fight Club?"_

"_Forget I even asked," Troy grumbles and murmurs, "Damn, Brad Pitt and Tyler Dundren" under his breath. _

_Gabriella laughs and just pats her boyfriend's head. "No worries babe, despite Brad Pitt's masculinity that just exudes sex, you're still my number one guy."_

"_I better be," before tackling Gabriella into the couch and kissing her senseless. _

_When the mini-make out session ends, Gabriella looks at Troy in awe before saying, "I'm surprised you even know Tyler's full name." _

"_Please, Gabriella," copying his girlfriend's earlier sentiments and tone of voice, "the book is a dark satire at its finest. It's a freaking no-holds barred look at the nihilism that lurks just beneath the surface of out materialistic society." _

_Gabriella's eyebrow raise. "Who would have thought that East High's 'basketball guy' is such a freaking nerd underneath that rugged exterior?"_

"_I learned from the best, Montez," Troy replies with a smirk, "And you know you get turned on by my nerdy talk."_

_Gabriella just pulls Troy towards her in response, prompting another make out session that doesn't last long thanks to none-other than Chad Danforth who barrels in the Bolton household, screaming Troy's name and dribbling his ball to herald his entry. _

_Gabriella sighs in resignation. _

"_Dammit, Chad." Troy shouts back. _

"_Oops, sorry dude."_

"Tyler," Gabriella whispers, afraid to wake the baby up, "Tyler Alexander Bol-, umm Montez."

If Annie catches Gabriella's slip, she doesn't say, instead, she just write the name into a notepad and tells Gabriella that she's going to record in into the system so the papers and birth certificate will be finalized. Annie takes her leave but not without congratulating Gabriella and admiring Tyler.

On her way to the nurses station, she overhears a young blonde man asking another nurse for Gabriella Montez' room number.

"Room 317," Annie interrupts and points the young man in the right direction.

He mumbles a thank you before going to Gabriella's room.

Danielle, the nurse whom the man asks, notes, "I guess the 'blue-eyed boy's' father has arrived."

"Hmmm," Annie replies, looking at the man striding confidently to Gabriella's room.

"So, did she already give you the boy's name?"

Still distracted by the young man's appearance, she murmurs, "Tyler Alexander Montez."

Danielle beams and excited states, "Ohh, Tyler is such a perfect name for him. Wait till I tell the others..."

* * *

_Everyone always says, "Don't worry, everything will work out for the best". Best for whom? The boy who went to college on a basketball scholarship to his dream school but with a broken heart? Or best for the girl who ended up pregnant at eighteen and alone? What I do know for sure is this, everything happens for a reason. For every tribulation that comes in your life, there is a nugget of wisdom that contributes to your growth as a person. And yes, sometimes, life gets tough, its tears you down and tries to break you. I learned this lesson early on - one that some can argue that no ten year old should know. But in retrospect, my father's departure taught me that life isn't just rainbows and sunshine and in the end, it toughened me up. It took me awhile to get there, since everything I've done so far contradicts that statement. When the going gets tough, I run but when I finally stopped running, I realized that I'm tougher than I give myself credit for. All those times, I was just too afraid to get hurt so instead of facing any challenge head on, I ran like a coward. _

_That feeling of loss when my father left pales in comparison to the heartache I felt when I left Troy and then my mother. Going out on my own strengthened me - no fear, even when my future seemed so bleak. And for the last nine months since I ran away from home, I've never been afraid of what may lie ahead of me. But when my water broke and no one was there to hold my hand and whisper reassurances in my ear, the fear that I felt when I first found out that I was pregnant came back full force. After all the pregnancy books that I've read, nothing and I mean nothing can fully prepare you when those contractions hits and a puddle of icky water lies in your feet. No amount of reading can prep you for the pain. Its as if the world is closing in on you and all the preparations you've made seem out of reach. And when my precious baby boy finally arrived, all that excruciating pain magically disappears and an overwhelming feeling of joy and love settles in its place instead. _

_The following months, in the midst of all the sleepless nights and mounting responsibilities, Tyler is the only thing that kept me going. He became my purpose, my world, my everything. Every waking moment when I wasn't working or studying was spent with my baby. And for awhile, it was enough. I was content with my life but as my Tyler grew, he looked more and more like his father as each day passes. Before, I hoped for a boy that would look like me and not Troy because I didn't know how I well I would fare having a constant reminder of Troy everyday. But secretly, a part of me rejoiced that he looks so much like his father. It was selfish of me because having a mini-Troy made it seem that he's still with me. And despite the ache and longing for Troy everytime I see Tyler, I couldn't ask for anything more. My life is perfect - or at least as perfect as it could be, the only thing that is missing was Troy. And hell, I had no one to blame but myself on that score…_

* * *

New York - April 20, 2013 (present)

Troy Bolton slowly closes Gabriella's journal. Piled beside him was numerous stacks of paper, post-its, photo albums and DVDs that seemingly document Tyler's life from birth till his latest fifth birthday. DVDs that he watched every single second of, soaking up Tyler's first walk and committing to memory the first time his boy said "Dada".

Outside, New York is shrouded in darkness and for the first time since Troy opened the box, he realized how much time has passed by. Not just today but a lifetime of memories that was taken away from the moment Gabriella left him. He waited for a wave of anger to envelope him - like the first time when he found out about Tyler in the park. But instead, he feels an odd mixture of sadness and contentment. He may not fully understand why she left. He many not agree with her and her reasons for leaving but after reading a journal that Gabriella took great pains in hiding from everyone, he felt like he could move on, move pass the pain and the hurt and start over.

At the corner of his eye, he sees a newspaper clipping of himself dated four years ago when he, along with the rest of the Albuquerque Red Hawks, won the state championship. Scribbled on the side of the cut out are the words the fortified Troy's resolution of making it work with Gabriella, of finally completing their family.

__

I love you.

I miss you.

I'm sorry.

There's nothing more to say.

* * *

I already started on Chapter 8 but I've sort of hit a snag and my muse has left me. So honestly, I'd like to say that next chapter will be up in a week but that would be too optimistic of me. Here's to hoping that I can atleast post Chapater 8 in a week or two. And good news, Troyella reconcialiation and more is next...

Reviews are love and def inspires me to write faster.


	8. Matters of Blood and Connection

_AN:_ For some reason, I couldn't log in to my FF account so this took longer than expected to be uploaded. Anyways….

The story is back to the present now and after this chapter, only one more to go. I'm pretty sure that there's going to be an epilogue but half the time, the chapters I've written doesn't really follow my outlines so if I tie up all loose ends by the next chapter, then there might not be a need for an epilogue. We'll see.

Anyways, enough of my rambling.

Enjoy.

_Disclaimer:_ I own nothing.

* * *

**Matters of Blood and Connection**

A few minutes before eight o' clock, Troy Bolton makes his way into the hotel's lobby, intent and eager to see Gabriella and Tyler again. After shortly speaking to the hotel's concierge and then obtaining his ex-girlfriend's address from Ryan Evans, he heads outside and hails a taxi.

Seconds later, he is on his way to Gabriella's apartment.

Throughout the entire ride, his mind is preoccupied, thinking of Gabriella and their son, of their future and of what lay ahead of them. Occasionally, his mind drifts back to the box and its contents. A lifetime of memories and events that he had missed out on. And despite the initial pain and longing, he is somewhat thankful that Gabriella at least managed to film all of Tyler's first and more.

While he was reading passages from Gabriella's journal, every now and then, he would stop and flip through the countless of picture albums stowed in the box, placing certain events he's read in the diary with the photographs, as if piecing together a jigsaw puzzle - only this time, its of the life he could have had. And when he started watching the DVDs, a sudden realization hits him like a ton of bricks. The realization that for the last six years, ever since Gabriella Montez left his life in the same unexpected fashion she entered the first time, that his life is meaningless, moving from one venture to another and living a very routine life.

After the hurt and pain from Gabriella's leaving slowly subsided, he just sort of lived life day to day, without a care in the world. And for awhile, he deluded himself into thinking that he was happy. That being a bachelor and not getting emotionally close to any woman was what he needed, what he wanted. But after seeing Gabriella and hugging his son for the first time, he realized how much he has been fooling himself this whole time. The same convictions and desires for a family sprung back up, dreams of a family life that he buried the moment Gabriella left. And now, that dream is well within reach, its only a matter of having the courage to actually fight for it.

And if he wasn't convinced enough that being a part of a family is what he truly wanted, remembering the first time his son said 'Dada' was enough to satisfy any lingering doubts.

_Troy Bolton pops a DVD titled "Firsts" in the DVD player and leans back in the hotel couch. For a moment while the DVD player reads the CD, the brightly lit screen envelopes the room before turning black for a second. Then, a beige colored couch is seen before Troy notices a movement on the side of the screen. After seemingly adjusting the video recorder, a very pregnant Gabriella appears on the screen and slowly settles into the couch. _

_She bites her lips, all the while wringing her hands - a habit that Gabriella does whenever she is nervous. _

_After what seemed like a minute or two of moving around the couch, under the pretense of trying to get comfortable, Gabriella finally sits still and looks straight in to the camera. _

"_Ummm, hi, Troy" she starts off before pausing once again and taking a deep breath. _

_Finally summoning enough courage, she continues, "It's me, Gabriella", she makes a face, "Well, you already knew that of course. I'm pretty sure you would rather have me not beat around the bush so I'll just go ahead and say it." _

_Another pause._

"_Umm, I'm pregnant, as you can obviously see. Eight months to be exact and…he's yours. Ours."_

_Few more sighs. _

"_This isn't exactly how I wanted you to find out. Umm, I don't even know where to begin." _

_More lip biting. _

"_The moment I found out, I wanted to tell you. And although I wasn't exactly rushing over to your house to share this little announcement, I was going to eventually break the news to you. But along the way, I just sort of lost my courage. Memories from my childhood and my father just kept coming back and even though I knew that you're nothing like my father, I just couldn't go through with it. And it didn't help that Sharpay and Taylor told me all about Michaela and Bobby. I was too much of a coward so I ran. The words 'I'm sorry' can't even describe how utterly miserable I feel for what I did."_

_Troy sees her eyes moisten and its evident that she's trying to hold her tears in check. Throughout her entire speech, her focus leaves the camcorder, settling on her hands instead and Troy Bolton didn't need to be a rocket scientist to know that she's in her own little world, enraptured by her thoughts and memories. _

"_To be honest, I don't even know if you'll ever get this. In the past eight months, I've written you tons of letters. Unsent, as you know since you obviously never received a single one. The first time Tyler kicked, I immediately dialed your number. You answered but I hung up the phone. But for that second, just to hear your voice was enough to sustain me a lifetime."_

_Still looking at her hands, she smiles and tears start to roll down her cheeks. _

"_Matt and Sarah, the people I've been living with this whole time, suggested that since I'm too much of a coward to actually tell you about my predicament, that I should document my life - well, more so Tyler's. That's what I'm naming him by the way."_

_At this, she looks right back at the camcorder, "Tyler Alexander Bolton, after your grandfather and Brad."_

_She smiles some more and wipes the tears in her cheeks. And Troy couldn't help but be touched that she named their son after his grandpa. _

_Just when Troy thought that Gabriella was getting comfortable, she tenses and Troy is 100 sure that she is unsure of how to continue. _

_She goes back to biting her lip and nervously wringing her hands._

"_So umm, I guess that's it for now. I'll try and hopefully record every waking moment of Tyler, so when I actually build up the courage to send you this, you'll at least have an idea… not that its any consolation for what I did of course."_

_Gabriella sighs and stand up - or at least she tries to, since her huge tummy seems to be in way and is holding her down. And at that, Troy smiles at Gabriella's obvious attempts at trying to stand up and failing. Huffing, she tries again and succeeds, to which Troy laughs at the pure joy seen in Gabriella's face, as if she just finished first at a marathon and is so proud of herself. _

_A few seconds later, the screen turns black and just when Troy is about to change the DVD to a new one, another scene pops up. _

_This time, its of a hospital room and congratulatory balloons and flowers are seen everywhere. Whoever is recording directs the camera to a sleeping Gabriella. A second later, a baby bassinet comes into view and Troy finally sees, for the first time, his newborn son, asleep and looking so serene like his mother. _

_After recording the mother and son duo for a few more seconds, the unknown cameraman directs the camcorder towards himself. The brunette young man, whom Troy guesses to be in his early twenties, grins and scratches his neck. _

_He starts, every word oozing with confidence and certainty, "You don't know me. Name's Matt Forster, Mark's and Sarah's grandson. Bear with me while I tell you a little story. Thirty hours ago, my grandparents", directs the camcorder towards an elderly couple sitting by the loveseat opposite the bed, "landed on the Seattle-Tacoma Airport. They came rushing in towards the baggage claim area where I was waiting for them and instantly told me that we needed to book a flight back to New York. Confused, they just hand me their phone and went straight to buying another ticket. I looked over their voicemail and this gal right here", moves the camcorder to the still sleeping Gabriella, "leaves my grandparents a message telling them she's in labor and that they shouldn't worry. Typical Gabriella."_

_Matt Forster comes into view again and he shrugs his shoulder, "Anyways, the labor went smoothly, so no worries dude, Gabi and Tyler are perfectly healthy. From what the nurses said, while in labor, Gabi here was cussing you out like there was no tomorrow. Well, I think that's it for now. I'm out." _

_The screen turns black once again. _

_After watching that scene, jealousy rears its ugly head within Troy Bolton and despite the fact that there is obviously just a brother-sister camaraderie between the two, Troy can't help but feel like strangling Matt Forster. _

_The next few scenes are a series of Tyler's first. First time he is brought home. First time he sleeps in his own crib. First time he lifts his head all by himself. First time he smiles. Gabriella managed to magically capture all of it, as if that camcorder of hers is always within reach, and on some level, Troy felt that he was a part of these memories. _

_One scene that particularly tugged at his heartstrings was when Tyler first said "Dada". Gabriella and his boy were in the nursery and she was trying to put Tyler to sleep. Humming a tune that seems oddly familiar, she rocks Tyler back and forth. _

_Mark, the one recording this time just follows the mother and son duo around. _

"_Look, Ty, Dada wants to say goodnight," Gabriella says while showing Tyler a picture of his father. _

_Upon seeing the picture frame, Tyler's eyes open and he reaches for his father's picture before blurting out an enthusiastic 'Dada'. Grabbing the picture frame with his chubby hands, Tyler repeats it again for several more times. _

_In the background, Troy hears Mark ask, "Did he just say Dada?" followed shortly by a womanly voice saying "Oh, Gabi, his first words" _

_The camera zooms in on Gabriella, with misty eyes and a pained smile on her face, murmurs, "Yeah, that's your Dada", to which his baby boy repeats, "Dada, dada, dada." _

Lost in thought, Troy doesn't notice that the taxi cab has come to a full stop outside Gabriella's apartment building.

"Yo, sir, you getting out or what?"

Jolted, Troy absentmindedly nods and sneaks a peek at the cab meter before handing the driver a crisp fifty dollar bill.

"Keep the change," he says, much to the delight of the taxi driver.

Troy stops in front of the stairs leading up to Gabriella's front door and hesitates, unsure of whether he should ring and alert Gabriella of his presence or just sneak in the building somehow.

His question is answered when a teenage boy exit the building. Troy hurries and manages to slip inside. On his way to the elevators, he passes by the bellman to whom he sends a curt nod.

Troy enters the elevator and presses "5". A few seconds later, he reaches Gabriella's floor. In a distance, he hears a dog barking followed by the familiar boisterous laugh of his boy.

Making a turn in the corner, he comes to a halt when he sees none other than Matt Forster outside what he assumed to be Gabriella's apartment.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay for dinner?", Troy hears as he discreetly walks back to the corner to hide.

Matt responds, "Nah, I'm beat and I have a long flight home tomorrow so I want to get a head start on packing."

"Well, if you're sure. Say hi to Naomi for me okay?"

"She certainly misses you guys, especially babysitting Tyler."

A few more minutes of small talk occur before Matt finally leaves.

Taking a peak around the corner, Troy sees Gabriella call out to his son, "Ty, baby, come say goodbye to Uncle Matt."

He hears feet shuffling trailed by a dog's bark.

"Bye, bye, Uncle Matt. Don't forget to bring me a toy again next time," his son adds with a boyish grin.

"Tyler Alexander," Gabriella mock chastises with a hint of warning to it.

Hearing the warning in his mother's tone, Tyler blurts, "Oo oh, Run Bubba. Mama's getting mad."

Tyler runs inside the apartment, saying goodbye to Matt and giggling along the way.

Sporting a contrite expression on her face, Gabriella apologizes while Matt just chuckles at Tyler's antics.

Seconds later, after another round of goodbyes and hugs, Matt is at last on his way out and inside the elevator.

Troy waits for a few more minutes before he makes his way to Gabriella's apartment. Once in front of their front door, a few more minutes passes before Troy cautiously rings the doorbell.

"Miss us so soon, Matt?", says Gabriella as she opens the door, wearing a flowery apron around her waist and holding onto Bubba's leash with one hand and a spatula with the other.

At the lack of response, Gabriella looks up and her hazel brown eyes widen at the sight of none other than Troy Bolton.

She opens her mouth to say something but nothing comes out. Taking a deep breath, she tries again.

"Troy", she utters in a steady tone, which surprised her since inside, her emotions are a mess.

Said man just nods his head curtly in greeting while Gabriella opens the door a little wider so he could come in.

The first thing Troy's sees the second he enters his soon-to-be-girlfriend's apartment is the numerous picture frames of Tyler that surrounds the walls of the living room. Looking around, he notices a mini-basketball ring a few feet away from the fireplace and instinctively, his frown grows deeper.

Seeing Troy's reaction, Gabriella's heart clenches at his defeated form so she looks away and carefully closes the door.

"I -", she pauses, "would you like some coffee?"

She only got a glare in response.

"That's what I thought," she murmurs before placing Bubba's leash on the side table and going in the kitchen to check on the food.

On her way, she starts rambling. About Tyler. About the box. About her departure. About her life in New York. About her mother. About any other nonsensical subject that pops in her head just so she can fill the uncomfortable silence that surrounds the room.

"Gabriella", Troy forcefully states.

Her rambling halts.

Biting her lip, she sighs and mumbles, "Would you like to stay for dinner?" Afraid that he might say no, she hurries on to add, "I'm sure Tyler would like that."

Slightly annoyed at being manipulated, Troy agrees before asking to see his son.

Seconds later, Gabriella hears an animated "Daddy" that just broke her heart. Before she knows it, tears are running down her cheeks and she's full on crying in the middle of her kitchen.

* * *

Troy Bolton felt like a jerk. Scratch that, he felt like a bastard.

To say that he has made a muck of things is an understatement. His intentions of making it right with Gabriella and cordially discussing their future, for some unexplainable reason, disappeared the moment he saw her.

All thoughts of forgiveness and moving forward seems to evaporate and the tiny feeling of resentment bubbled over the surface. And before he knows it, he's acting like the biggest asshole in New York City when all Gabriella did was answer the door.

"Daddy!"

Troy looks up and only sees a flash of movement before he gets tackled by his son and the dog.

"Oomph."

"Papa, you're back", he excitedly announces as he jumps up and down.

In his twenty four years living on this Earth, Troy Bolton has never cried in his life. Sure, there were the occasional tears that slipped when he was a child. But certain moments and events, like Gabriella's departure, that should have warranted tears, and yet so far, he's managed to hold the tears at bay.

But for the first time in his adult years, he isn't ashamed to say that he broke down when his son clung to him like a leech. He isn't ashamed to say that the moment his son showed him his smaller version of Gabriella's box, filled with hand-made birthday-Father's Day-Christmas cards, stowed away at the bottom of his sock drawer, that more tears escaped his eyes.

And when his son asked him if he had a "boo-boo" upon seeing his father crying and wanted to know if he could kiss it, "_like when Mama kisses my boo-boos and I feel all better_," he simply tightens his hold on Tyler and hugs his boy for all he's worth.

"I'm okay. I'm okay now," he mumbles into his son's cheek as he slowly stopped crying.

In his innocent and sweet voice, Tyler just responds with a reassuring and heartwarming, "Love you, Papa."

And it took all of Troy's strength to not break down and cry once again.

* * *

An hour and a half of father and son bonding and an awkward dinner (at least for the two adults in the room) later, Troy and Gabriella find themselves with a worn-out child, dressed in his Transformers pajamas, insisting on a lullaby.

"I though you said that you're too old for lullabies, Ty." Gabriella argues in mild protest as her son's persistence grows.

Blinking his blue eyes a few times and pouting for a good measure, Tyler argues back, "Well, Papa's here."

Gabriella sends Troy a futile glance before trying on dissuading her son, only to be interrupted by Troy who started humming.

"_It's hard to believe _

_That I couldn't see _

_You were always there beside me"_

Surprised, Gabriella just stares at Troy, not noticing that he finally finished his verse of the song.

"Mama?", his son queries.

"Huh?" was Gabriella's intelligent answer, still too busy staring at Troy.

"Mama!"

Blushing at having been caught staring at her ex-boyfriend, she makes a show of tucking Tyler's blanket before asking, "What's wrong, baby?"

Two pairs of blue eyes stare lovingly at her, "Its your turn to sing, Mama."

"Oh."

Taking a sneak glance at Troy, Gabriella could see a slight hint of smirk on his face.

"_It's hard to believe _

_That I couldn't see _

_You were always there beside me"_

Like before, the moment Troy started singing, Gabriella couldn't help but stare at him. And when it was her turn to sing, she was sure that she'll forget the lyrics to the song but it seemed to flow out of her, as if she's only sung it yesterday.

"_Thought I was alone_

_With no one to hold"_

She tried to look away, she did, but the magnetic draw of his lucent blue eyes wouldn't allow it. For a second, that seemed tortuously long to Gabriella, their gazes locked. Her heart skittered and missed a beat.

"_But you were always there beside me_

_This feeling's like no other_

_I want you to know"_

Oblivious to the tension and undercurrents in the room between his parents, Tyler just smiles so brightly and stares at his parents adoringly as they belted out the final chorus to the song.

"_I've never had someone that knows me like you do_

_The way you doI've never had someone as good for me as you_

_No one like you_

_So lonely before I finally found_

_What I've been looking for"_

Both Troy and Gabriella were so engrossed in their 'performance' that even after the song ended, they just sat on Tyler's bed staring at each other.

Troy had never seen anyone more beautiful - or more talented. Even when she is currently wearing a worn out East High shirt (that Troy is willing to bet is his) and shorts under her sullied apron, to Troy, she's still the most beautiful woman he's ever met. Motherhood and age only added to her beauty.

He felt himself becoming lost in Gabriella Montez' hazel brown eyes and experienced something akin to fear. Just like his son, she tugged at his heartstrings in a way that he didn't understand. To anyone who thinks that time can make anyone forget is wrong. Because six years isn't enough to erase all the love Troy Bolton has for a certain brunette sitting in front of him. Every time he looked into those eyes, he got the strangest feeling, a sense of connection and rightness that he tried to bury, one that he's never experienced before, not with anyone except for her.

Tyler's sudden snores breaks the silence.

Both look away, Troy intently stares at his shoe laces, as if it's the most interesting object in the room while Gabriella blushes bright red and starts biting her fingernails.

An uneasy silence envelopes the room.

Swiftly, Gabriella stands up and nearly knocking Tyler's lampshade. Placing the object back in its place, she remarks in a high-pitched voice, "We should -" and stops with that.

Troy just agrees.

One final goodnight kiss from the both of them and a "_Sweet dreams, tyke_" from Troy that breaks Gabriella's heart, the two former lovers exit their son's bedroom.

Passing what seems to be an office, Troy asks, "You mind if I take you up on the coffee you offered earlier?"

Gabriella glances back and gives a tentative smile.

"Of course not. Have a seat." She replies as she point to one of the numerous chairs in the kitchen.

Setting the kettle on the stove, she laid aside two mugs, removing her apron and then tugging self-consciously at her short shorts in a futile attempt to cover her legs.

Troy notices and fixes his gaze on her face, not wanting to make her feel uncomfortable only to do so when he inquiries about the East High shirt she's wearing.

Another blush which is enough to confirm Troy's suspicions that it is indeed his shirt.

He smiles and sinks into one of chairs. She just looks away in embarrassment and busies herself with making the coffee.

As she plucks the sugar from the shelf, she says without looking at Troy, "So, should we make small talk or go straight to it?"

"What else is there to say, Gabriella?" he asks softly. "I got your box. Spent the whole day reading and watching in fact."

Gabriella cast her eyes downward and takes a deep breath.

"I never wanted to hurt you, Troy. And in its own fucked up way, I did but it was for_ you_."

She feels Troy tense but he relaxes a moment later.

"I realize that, Gabi. I might not fully understand it but I'm trying." He sighs and whispers, "I would have stayed, you know."

He catches Gabriella's gaze and for the umpteenth time, their eyes lock.

"I would have stayed." Troy repeats with much conviction.

"I know."

"Quite frankly, before we get anywhere, we need to talk about _us_, Gabi."

Hesitantly, "What about _us_, Troy?"

An eyebrow raises.

"What do you think?" he asks back as he runs a hand through his tousled hair.

Gabriella bites her lip.

Troy stands up and takes a step towards Gabriella. She takes a step back, only to realize that she's cornered by the fridge.

Like a lion intent on capturing its prey, Troy makes his way to Gabriella, stopping when there is nothing but an inch separating them.

She swallowed a scream.

His voice is quiet when he speaks but despite the low tones, its full of force and certainty. "You still love **me**. And for some asinine reason, I do too. Now the question is, what do we do about us?"

He asks before his lips come crashing down on hers.

* * *

Well, reviews are always appreciated.

Preview of Chapter 9:

_Gabriella's breath caught and breathing took an effort. Before she knows it, his lips are on hers again, demanding, devouring, addicting. _

_Troy angled his head and drew her nearer, if it is even possible. His arm locked around her, lifting Gabriella against him and backing her against the fridge for extra support, her legs instinctively wrapping around his waist. Locked in their kiss, she barely seemed to notice; pushing her hands up, over his shoulders, she slid her fingers into his hair and grabbed tight. _

_Their kiss deepened and left them both dizzy with longing._


	9. As Lovers Go

_AN: _An update within a week? Shocking, I know.

I never really considered the ending of the last chapter to be seen as a cliffhanger but reading it again, I see why people got that impression. I was suppose to leave the ending of the previous chapter as it is and continue on with the story as intended. I wasn't planning on describing in detail what happened next but for some reason, the 'what-comes-after' scene was just itching to be written so here we are with a chapter that was never planned. I started writing the Troyella scene and the rest just pretty much wrote itself. Meaning, its back to the drawing board since this unplanned chapter screwed up my plans. Oh well. One more chapter to go.

Umm, rating for this story just went up. And as the title suggest, things between Troy and Gabriella get steamy…but not _too_ steamy, I think. Its very suggestive but I think I succeeded in giving enough without actually going into detail. I hope this makes up for all the angst and darker tones in the last few chapters. Troyella fluff abounds... and its my first try at sexual fluff so please, tell me how I do.

Enjoy.

And special thanks to Mckenzie for beta reading this for me. Also, to those who still read this story and leave reviews despite my very sporadic and lengthy updates.

_Disclaimer: _I own nothing.

* * *

**As Lovers Go**

Something in them ignited the moment his lips touched hers.

She stilled. She's been watching and waiting, skittish the moment he stood up but she had not anticipated such a direct attack.

He didn't immediately take her in his arms, but boy did he have an insane urge to do so, instead, he simply kissed her thoroughly, his lips on hers and waited for a signal. And when she parted her lips and let him in, he reached for her, drew her to him. Without hesitation, her hands had risen to rest against his shoulder, fingertips unconsciously playing with the ends of his hair.

His hands on her back, strong fingers splayed over her spine and inching lower and lower, urging her closer.

He broke the kiss, although grudgingly and takes a deep breath.

She too, drew breath. Her lashes fluttered up and for an instant, blue eyes met brown, and the air around them shimmered.

She sucked in a quick, shallow breath; in the same instant, he tightened his arms around her. Before she could say more - what, she didn't know since she hadn't thought that far ahead, he raised his hand, set one fingertip on her nape and traced it slowly. He then lowered his head and nibbled on her neck.

Her breath caught and breathing took an effort. Before she knows it, his lips are on hers again, demanding, devouring, addicting. He angled his head and drew her nearer, if it is even possible. His arm locked around her, lifting her against him and backing her against the fridge for extra support, her legs instinctively wrapping around his waist. Locked in their kiss, she barely seemed to notice; pushing her hands up, over his shoulders, she slid her fingers into his hair and grabbed tight.

Their kiss deepened and left them both dizzy with longing.

He eased his fingers from the delicate curve of her neck before traveling lower, lightly caressing until it reached her chest. She moaned when he closed his hands about her breast through the thin fabric of her shirt.

When she wriggled impatiently on his thighs, he reached between them, found the hem of her shirt and slid his hand beneath. In reaction, her fingers clenched on his skull.

Slowly, gradually, Troy eased back into the kiss and released her lips. Her questing fingers already unbuttoning his shirt. Fingers clutching onto the fine linen, chest rising and falling dramatically, her lips swollen and parted.

Gabriella opened her eyes and looked straight into his.

Desire. Longing. Hunger. Love.

All the emotions that are surely mirrored in his.

Both their breathing were unsteady and it took a moment or two before they fully regained their wits. After a long moment, Gabriella's gaze fixed on his face and caressed his jaw. She looked back at him and licked her lips, an action that re-ignited Troy's already boiling desire for her, glanced at their disheveled appearance before shaking her head in disbelief.

"You still love me," she murmured in a pitch so low it was barely more than a whisper.

Sensing the lingering and unspoken question laced in her statement, he inwardly frowned. "I never stopped. Not when you left like a thief in the night."

His heart caught at the pain he glimpsed in her eyes. Then, just as quickly as it came, it vanished and she turns her gaze away from him. Troy gently grabs hold of her chin and captured her eyes.

"I tried to forget about you. Believe me, I tried but no matter what I did, my feelings for you just won't go away. You're mine and I'm never letting you go again. And don't you dare forget that."

"I don't deserve you" was her muted response.

"No one's perfect. Not you. Not me. But don't you think that its high time for us to move forward and let go of the past. One day at a time. We can take things slow. Don't you want this family to be whole again?"

Overcome with emotion, Gabriella could only nod in agreement before launching herself back into Troy's arms.

She blinked her eyes wide as his arms closed around her again and his lips found hers. He kissed her gently and despite their aroused state, it was a soothing kiss. One that was meant to reassure and comfort.

The kiss turns heated.

"Bed." He moans into her neck.

He tightened his hold on her as he carried her, leaving the kitchen and heading towards the hallway. A few minor mishaps occurred on their way but with Gabriella's directions, they managed to reach her bedroom without waking the rest of the household. Opening the door with one hand, and holding Gabriella securely with the other, Troy doesn't even pay heed to his surroundings, just zoning in on the bed and disregarding the rest. Using his leg to close the door, he turns his attention on her neck, nibbling, biting that will surely leave marks. They reach the bed and he laid her down gently, freeing her hair, spreading it over the pillows, her ebony locks a stark contrast to the beige bed sheets. Then, taking his shirt off, and helping her out of hers, he covered her.

"We really shouldn't rush into this," Gabriella said, yet her fingers were busy with the buttons on his jeans.

"We should take things slow," Troy reiterated as his hands caressed the curve of her back and lower.

Pure unbridled passion ripped through their veins and as he slid his hands into her hair and kissed her deeply, the last vestige of control leaves them.

"Promise me. Promise me you'll never leave me again."

Her chest had grown so tight that the words came hard. "Never", she assured him, "From now on, you're stuck with me forever, Bolton."

That was precisely what he needed to hear before he finally came to her, the heat of his bare skin against her, shocking them, leaving them wanting for more.

There was no going back.

Hours later, when both their desires are sated and Troy collapsed upon her, his last thought, before sleep finally claims him was: at long last, he finally found where he belonged.

* * *

As Ryan Evans crossed the park, the morning sunlight warmed his shoulders through the brand new shirt he is wearing, a birthday gift from his sister. Normally, a weather like this, sunny and warm that is uncharacteristic for the month of March would have lifted his spirits, but it wasn't doing the trick this year. Ever since Troy Bolton stormed his apartment that fateful night two days ago, he'd been feeling slightly depressed. He's never regretted keeping Gabriella's secret. In the times that he has babysat for Tyler when he was a mere baby, there was a lingering doubt that always seemed to resurface. But as time passed by, Ryan began to understand Gabriella's reasoning on why she hasn't told Troy about his son. And in time, he has come to accept her decision. But seeing the rage and pain in Troy's eyes that night made him rethink his choices these past couple of years with regards to Gabriella and Tyler.

Granted, the decision to keep Tyler a secret started innocently enough, as contradictory as it sounds. The threat of another departure from Gabriella prompted him to accept his friend's conditions. He fought tooth and nail with her in the beginning. Trying to make her see reason. Convincing her that Troy needed to know. But all his efforts were in vain. If anyone thought Sharpay, while in pursuit of Troy back in high school was stubborn, they haven't met Gabriella Montez. Unfortunately, as much as Ryan hated lying to Troy and the others, he couldn't see any other way to keep Gabriella in New York. At least this way, he can watch over Gabriella. His decision was sort of picking the lesser of two evils.

He'd hate to lose Troy's friendship, especially after everything they've been through. But he can never regret keeping Gabriella's secret. Now, he's just hoping that Troy can see that and understand. And seeing as the conversation that took place last night when Troy called for Gabriella's address was civil enough, even bordering friendly at times gives Ryan hope that he can still patch things with Troy.

Speaking of Gabriella's apartment, Ryan sees an elderly woman at the far end of the street, across Gabi's home, about to cross. Quickening his pace, he reached over and tried to help the old lady, only to get a swat and an indignant "What the hell are you doing, young man?". After explaining that he was only trying to help, she glared at him and said, "What do I look like, an invalid?" before she walked away.

"Sorry," Ryan muttered, "I was just trying to help."

He was still muttering under his breath about grumpy old ladies when he reached Gabi's front door. His mood promptly got better when he sees the chaos Tyler has made in the kitchen.

Getting the boy's attention, who at the moment is trying to pour milk over the pancake batter and failing miserably, he asks, "Shouldn't you wait for your mommy to help you with that, Ty?"

Tyler, still dressed in his pajamas and wearing Gabi's apron that was three times bigger than him, adorably shrugs his shoulders and slowly gets down from the chair. He gives Ryan a hug before explaining that he was trying to surprise 'them' with breakfast. Thinking that he was just referring to Gabriella and Bubba, Ryan lets the 'them' comment slide and opts to wake Gabi instead to alert her of his son's actions. He makes sure that Tyler is safe in the kitchen before heading to the doorway.

Rounding the corner, Bubba emerges from Tyler's room, barking upon seeing him before sniffing the air and barreling towards the kitchen.

He hears Tyler's giggles and a bowl falling on the floor. Wincing, he can just imagine the mess that has been added to the kitchen.

Ryan nears Gabi's bedroom but half way there, the door opened. Only to reveal the back of man, wearing Gabriella's pink towel. To the side of the mystery man, was Gabriella in nothing but her blanket.

A gasp escaped his lips.

The occupants of the room turns around.

And in the back of his mind, Ryan thinks, "This is shaping up to be a very interesting morning."

* * *

Six hours later, Gabriella stood by Troy's side, wrapped in a blanket - not that he was any better, clad only in her pink towel, hair still wet from his shower, as they stood in front of Ryan Evans.

She awoke slowly that morning, her body feeling soft and full. She blushed, recalling the events that transpired last night, each time more passionate and demanding than the first. They couldn't seem to get enough of each other, as if six years of repressed emotions had been released.

Gabriella stretched, wincing at the soreness, then reached for Troy…only to find him gone. Frowning, she sat upright, tossing her hair out of her eyes.

A soft click on her side drew her attention.

She finds him standing in the mast bathroom, water glistening on his well-sculpted chest. A familiar flutter of desire runs through her and she tightens her grip on the blanket. Obviously sensing some movement in the bed, Troy looks up and stares at her, devouring her with the same hunger that had kept them awake most of the night.

Gabriella blushed. "I thought, for a moment there, that last night was just a figment of my imagination."

Leaning on the door frame and raising an eyebrow, Troy smirks. "What a great dream it must have been."

She grinned and slid to the edge of the bed, slightly wincing when she moved her legs.

"Are you sore?"

Gabriella sent him a humorous gaze. "Only a little. But it's a pleasurable sort of pain."

He laughed.

She tried to find her robe and then, remembering that she didn't get the chance to don it on last night, she just tugged on the blanket and left the bed.

And straight into Troy's arms.

"I don't think I properly said good morning yet, Miss Montez?"

Before she could form a response, he kissed her. Hard and passionately. Lifting her of her feet and making the blanket slip of her. But Gabriella didn't notice for she was too busy kissing him back.

In a distance, a door opens and closes. Noise, in the form of barking and Tyler's exuberant giggles, ensues. It took all of his self-control but Troy finally ended the kiss and slid Gabriella back to her feet.

"Good morning," he said huskily.

Breathless, she could only smile and sway gently, as if trying to get her bearings, her eyes still cloudy with desire. Troy laughed, just as the ruckus in the hallway increased. Gabriella glanced a the door and grinned while she wrapped the blanket around her more tightly.

Smiling at Troy, she explains, "Now that would be your son's way of telling me he is hungry."

"Well, what are we waiting for? If he's anything like Dad and I, we need to hurry."

"Wait, I have to get -", Gabriella starts to say but Troy ignores her and goes straight for the door. Following him, she says again, "Troy, we need to get -".

He opens the door and they hear a gasp. Troy and Gabriella turn around and see none other than Ryan Evans standing in the hallway, mouth agape.

"…dressed," Gabriella lamely ends.

For a long moment that seemed like an eternity, an awkward silence envelopes the three of them, only to be interrupted by the racket Tyler and Bubba are making in the kitchen.

Gabriella kept her gaze steady on Ryan's face. He, in turn, studied them for an instant longer before he closed his mouth and smiled. Brightly.

"I guess you don't need me to drop Ty off school today." Slowly moving backwards, he continues, with a smirk on his face, "Just going to let myself out."

"Rya-"

The front door closes.

Sending Troy an exasperated look, Gabriella goes to her closet to get some clothes and hastily puts it on.

A confused expression is seen in Troy's face and seeing this, Gabriella just mutters, "You know he's going to say something to Sharpay."

"So?" came the bewildered reply.

Sighing, "You better hope that Sharpay doesn't come barging in here asking for details."

Mirroring Gabriella's actions, Troy starts putting his clothes on - much to Gabriella's dismay, and says, "Hold up, I still can't see the problem. Did you want to keep us a secret or something?"

Gabriella fervently shakes her head. "Gawd no, Troy. Its just I don't know what to tell Sharpay. Sorry, maybe I'm just overreacting here."

Coming to stand in front of her, Troy takes Gabriella's hand in his and laces their fingers. He rubs his nose with hers - an Eskimo kiss that always put a smile on her face, he lovingly proclaims, "Its going to be okay, Gabi. You here me? Everything's going to be fine." Tugging at her, he leads her to the kitchen before stopping and kissing her, as if to reassure any doubts still lingering in her mind.

"What are you doing, Mama?"

Troy jumped and he and Gabriella sprang apart like guilty teenagers.

"Tyler!" she said, breathlessly, a blush gracing her cheeks. "You startled me."

Their child, holding onto a spatula dripping with what Troy assumed to be pancake batter, squinted his blue eyes. "Were you guys kissing?"

Gabriella straightened her shirt and played with the ends of her hair. "We um -" she laughed nervously and looking at Troy for help who only grinned, she continued, "Heavens, no."

_No? _Troy sends Gabriella a cocky smirk and wondered how she was going to get herself out of this one.

Tyler, obviously taking after his mother in the intelligence department looked suspiciously at his mother before turning his doubtful eyes towards him. "What were you doing then, Daddy?"

Unlike Gabriella, he was going to take the straightforward approach. "Well, you see, kid, when two -"

"Daddy was just helping me with my hair, baby." Gabriella replies quickly, interrupting Troy's answer.

"Oh." Tyler still seemed unconvinced by his mother's response. "But nothing's wrong with your hair, Mama."

Troy laughs at this. And receives a glare from Gabriella.

"Umm, that's because Daddy already fixed it from Mama. Now, what do you say about finishing those pancakes that you're making huh?"

At the mention of food, Tyler completely forgets his questions and nods his head eagerly. He takes his father's hand, who in turn grabs onto Gabriella, and leads him into the kitchen where flour is everywhere and milk splatters are seen on the kitchen counter. On the floor, Bubba's paws are outlined thanks to the mess their son has made. Beside him, Gabriella sighs in resignation, as if this is commonplace in the Montez household and goes about fixing them breakfast, a feat that seemed impossible to Troy when he sees how much "help" his son is actually contributing. But Gabriella doesn't seem to mind and joining them, Troy can't help but feel that everything is right in the world.

He and Gabriella share a glance, both thinking the same thought, before their attention is directed to their son, who is making more mess despite the fact that the only thing Tyler is doing is holding onto the cook book.

_Our family's whole again._

* * *

Ryan Evans was still smiling when he walked backed home from Gabriella's apartment. A fact that left many New Yorkers that he encountered on his way back befuddled and somewhat scared at a sight of a lone grinning young man walking, with a slight bounce to his steps. But he barely notices. The sight of Troy and Gabriella, in nothing but blankets and towels which obviously hints at a reconciliation, just warms Ryan's heart. After all the pain and misery he's seen in his friend's faces throughout the last six years, he couldn't be more ecstatic over a happily-ever-after for those two. For a moment there, the very thought that things might not be resolved between Troy and Gabriella left Ryan nervous. Not only because he believed that Troy and Gabriella deserved their happy ending given that they are meant for each other but because of a certain blue eyed boy that would be devastated if things ended badly for the two ex-lovers. But given what he'd seen, there's not going to be a problem on that corner.

Upon entering his apartment, the sounds of an argument reach his ears.

"What the hell is your problem Sharpay? Should I go up to her and say 'Thank you' when she is at wrong here?"

Entering the kitchen, Ryan stops and surveys the scene before him. Sharpay, in all her pink glory, stood head to head with Chad, a nasty frown marring her lips. And from the looks of it, Sharpay is seriously considering hitting Chad where it hurts the most.

"I never said that," she bit out.

Chad clicked his tongue. "My, my, my, you really are pissed. A tad hypocritical wouldn't you say? From what I've heard, you were royally annoyed with her when you first found out."

Sharpay hissed air through her teeth and started poking Chad's chest. He didn't even bat an eye.

"Yes, I was righteously angry at first but after the heard the whole story, I could sort of understand why she did it. And why are we even arguing about this?"

"Because you fucking implied that I should at least take some responsibility in this mess, that's why."

Brows creasing in confusing, Ryan makes his presence known and halts the argument.

"Please tell me that you guys aren't arguing about Troy and Gabriella."

Two pairs of eyes stare dumbfounded at him.

Sharpay speaks first. "Troy and Gabriella?"

"What are you talking about now, Evans?"

Staring right back at them, Ryan explains, "Your argument. I'm only assuming its about Troy and Gabi."

"Wha- why? We were arguing about this stubborn jackass and Taylor here," was Sharpay's angry retort.

"Oh, well carry on then." he said as goes to the cupboard to grab a mug. After pouring some coffee, he heads to his home office, only to peer over his shoulder and announce nonchalantly, "Before I forget, Troy is at Gabi's apartment, wearing nothing but a pink towel."

At that, he exit the kitchen, leaving a smirking Chad and speechless Sharpay in his wake.

"Atta boy, Troy."

"Oooh, I need details. Where's my phone?"

Rolling his eyes at his sister's gossipmonger tendencies, Ryan calmly sips his coffee and eagerly starts to work. In the kitchen, he hears Chad chastising Sharpay for trying to disturb the couple.

"Fine, I'll call later. But don't deny it, you're itching to hear the details of their reunion too."

"Whatever you say, Sharpay. Whatever you say," was Chad's response.

A very interesting morning indeed.

* * *

For the rest of the day, Troy and Gabriella spent their every waking moment with each other. Shortly after dropping Tyler off school, they headed to Gabriella's work where Troy, mesmerized, just watched his girlfriend work, much to her chagrin since she couldn't exactly get any work done with Troy's piercing gaze.

He couldn't help it. He couldn't look at her without remembering how fabulous it felt to be back in her arms, to have her lush body pressed against him. And every time she looked at him, her cheeks turned a pretty shade of pink, a sign that she too, was thinking of it, which only ignited Troy's desire more. Despite the six years that has elapsed, it feels like nothing has changed between them. And for that, Troy was thankful.

Throughout the day, they caught up with each other's lives, describing in detail what has happened and then planning for their future. They talked about Troy's schooling and his prominent status as an up-and-comer businessman in New Mexico. They discussed how best to tell Troy's parents which lead to more somber conversation about Maria's death. They talked about what happens next, for the two of them, and for Tyler too. Should they move back to New Mexico? Should they stay? What about Troy's job? Gabriella's position as co-owner of Forester's Bookstore? The more they talked, the more worried Gabriella became. She had a separate life from his now, a job and responsibilities. They were living and working in different towns.

"Come on, turn that frown upside down. Everything is going to be fine in the end, Gabi."

"But your work is in Albuquerque…"

"I can get a transfer."

But Gabriella doesn't seem to hear, instead she continues listing out all the possible problems that they might encounter, "And then, there's your parents. And Taylor. There's the bookstore. And if you do move to New York, we'll have to tend to the business of selling your house. The mortgage payments. Insurance. But what if you don't want to sell it? I mean, I can easily give up the apartment here but there's Tyler to think about. His school. His friends. There's your coaching job too in -"

Her rambling dies on her lips when Troy kisses her senseless.

Still giddy from desire, she could only say, "You know, you can't just keep kissing me just to -"

His lips are back to working their magic on Gabriella's body, leaving her breathless and feeling clueless when it comes to her surroundings. Ending the kiss, Troy says, "We'll figure this out, one problem at a time." He brought his face close to hers. "There's no way in hell that I'm spending another day away from you and Tyler. Gerard's been badgering me about moving here to start up the New York division so we have no problems there. I can always keep the house in Albuquerque, sort of a vacation house for when we visit those people back home so that's settled. Now, Miss Montez, anything else?"

Gabriella smiled dreamingly at Troy before starting again.

"Okay, so should we find a new apartment? Or do you want to come live with us? I can move around some stuff in my office so you can have some space. Or do you want to -"

"Shut up, Montez. Just shut up." For the umpteenth time that day, his lips come crashing down on hers and this time, but Gabriella didn't protest anymore. Because at the end of the day, she knew that she could trust Troy with the rest of her life.

* * *

Reviews are much appreciated.


	10. Hands Down

_AN:_ Sorry this took awhile. This past weeks have been crazy with family and friends slowly coming home for the summer.

I really had a hard time writing this. In my head and in my outlines, I knew what I wanted to write and how I wanted to end this story but the words just wouldn't write itself. Certain parts are inspired by recent episodes of Gossip Girls I've watched and One Tree Hill spoilers I've read. You'll know when you read it. Officially, this is the last chapter, I've managed to tie up all loose ends and wrap up this story. Although I have started writing an epilogue. So far, I'm not liking what I've written so it's a 50-50 chance that I might not post it. We'll see.

Enjoy and thanks for reading this story of mine. I really appreciate all the reviews and critiques I've gotten from you guys.

Special thanks to my beta, Mckenzie.

_Disclaimer: _I own nothing.

* * *

**Hands Down**

Sweat filled Gabriella Montez' palms as she heard the door bell ring. She heard feet shuffling and seconds later, the front door opened. Voices then filled the foyer. _Troy's parents_. Since Troy's phone conversation to his parents two nights ago, their reaction to that fact that they have a grandson that they didn't know about for six years occupied her thoughts. Troy tried to calm her down, explaining that all will be okay in the end. But Gabriella couldn't help but feel anxious. Her nerves were frazzled and she's scared shitless.

"Mama, they're here." Tyler announced as he stood next to her, dressed in his trousers and plaid button down shirt. "Do you think they'll like me?"

While Troy has been tending to Gabriella's nerves, she, in turn, has been trying to reassure their son about his grandparent's reaction.

"Are you kidding, baby? The moment they see you, they're goners," she said while nervously picking a non-existent lint on Tyler's shirt. After patting her son's head, she heard footsteps nearing and for a moment, Gabriella stilled, staring apprehensively through the archway separating the foyer from the living room.

"You've been very hush-hush about this trip, boy? What is this about?" she heard Jack ask his son.

"Just wait and see Dad." he replied in return.

The Bolton family with Troy leading them, stepped into the archway. And then halted at the sight of Gabriella.

Greatly tempted to run and hide, Gabriella could only stare at Troy's parents. She forced herself to stand and greet them, to say something, anything, but nothing came out. She willed herself to relax and breathe.

Seeing his girlfriend struggle to compose herself, Troy tried to break the uneasy silence that enveloped the room. "Mom, Dad, I'm sure you remember -"

"Gabriella!" Linda cried out before rushing over to Gabriella's side and hugging her.

"Oh, dear, we were so worried when you and Maria left so suddenly. How are you doing? I know it must have been tough on the both of you when Maria passed away. I wanted to call and check up on you but -"

"Whoa, hold up, Mom. What did you mean about it being hard on the "both of them"?", Troy asked, with a confused and quizzical look on his face.

Linda sheepishly smiled at Troy before taking a quick glance at her husband, still staring dumbfounded at the scene before him. Before she could start explaining how she knew about Gabriella, Tyler and Maria's death, she was interrupted by a dog barking and a hurried, "Shoo, don't disturb them, Bubba."

Four pairs of eyes glance Tyler's way. One in surprise. Two in dread while the last in anticipation.

As Gabriella hastily approached Tyler, she took measured breaths and forced the tension out of her body. Considering she had a lot of explaining to do, she wanted to put her best foot forward and not babble like an idiot in front of her boyfriend's parents. She stood behind her son and said, "Jack…Linda," a comforting hand rest itself in her back and she looks up to see Troy sending her a encouraging smile, "I can -"

"Oooh, is that my grandson?"

Troy and Gabriella could only stare at each other in bewilderment as Linda rushed over to take Tyler into her arms.

Jack, still standing in the archway, sighed and queried, "Will someone please explain all this to me? And while you guys are at it, you want to tell me how I only found out about my grandson?"

Gabriella bit her lip at hearing Jack's irate tone. On the outside, Jack Bolton looked calm, unfazed even by the sight of Gabriella and his grandson, but one look at his clenched fists and the hard lines on his face, Gabriella knew that he was trying to keep his anger in check.

Unperturbed by her husband's outburst, Linda, arms still around Tyler, beamed and explained how she knew about Gabriella and their grandson. She took a seat at the couch and pulled Tyler along side her.

"I guess I can start from the very beginning. Eight months ago, I received a letter from Maria asking to meet me in Chicago. No contact from her for almost five years and suddenly, here she is. So I agreed to meet with her. At that time of our first meeting, she told me about her illness. The doctor said that she only had a few months, two, three months tops to live and your mother asked if I could handle her legal affairs in Chicago and in New York, as well as her estates and investments. So for about three months, I was in contact with her, trying to sort out the business end of things while digging for more when it comes to you, Gabriella," she glanced at Gabriella as she continued, "Your mother told me some stuff, enough to appease my curiosity but looking back on it, all she really said was that some family problems prompted you to leave Albuquerque so suddenly. I just deduced it had something to do with your father."

Hearing Linda's story, Gabriella struggled to understand what Troy's mother was saying. Suddenly, she remembered. "You're Linda Michaels?"

Linda nodded.

"So how did you learn about Tyler?" asked Jack, as he leaned on the wall, arms crossed.

"About a month ago, I went to New York to settle some business and passed by Maria's building, I saw you and Tyler heading out of her apartment. Tyler called Gabriella, "Mom" so I started piecing things together. And it didn't help that Tyler looked like an exact replica of Troy when he was a boy so it wasn't all that hard to figure it out. I didn't know what I should do, if I should tell Troy or confront Gabriella myself."

At this point, Linda looked straight at Gabriella, "And then, I got a letter from Maria's lawyer a few days after I first saw the two of you. In the letter, Maria basically told me everything I already knew about you and my grandson. She was afraid that Tyler will forever not know his father and she only wanted to bring your family back together. She concluded the letter with some parting words about waiting until you're finally ready to talk to Troy. I didn't know how I'll know when you're going to be ready but she wanted me to wait and so I kept it a secret from Troy and Jack."

"So you've known for about a month know?" Jack asked.

Linda could only nod. She stared at her husband and tried to gauge his reaction, his emotions but she couldn't read him. Not now.

"I'm sorry, Jack."

For a tense second, no one speaks. Even Bubba, always barking and running around, seemed to feel the tension in the room.

Taking Gabriella's hand, Troy squeezed it in assurance. She sent him a grateful yet hesitant smile that came out looking like a grimace.

A ball bounced on the floor.

Looking like a deer caught in the headlights, Troy speedily left his seat in the couch and seized the ball. In a meek voice, he apologized.

Jack, seeing the ball, inquired if Tyler knew how to play basketball.

Startled, Tyler paused before answering, "Yes. Mama signed me up for the Pee Wee Basketball League."

Steering the conversation on more safe grounds, Gabriella added, "Tyler's team came in first at last season's championship."

With pride beaming in his eyes, Jack exclaimed, "First place, huh?"

Tyler enthusiastically nodded his head. "Do you still play basketball, Grandpa?" Eyes widening, he added, "Is it okay to call you 'Grandpa'?"

Jack wiped one eye, trying to inconspicuously hide the fact that his eyes welled up at hearing his grandson call him Grandpa. "Oh yeah. I would be honored for you to call me Grandpa."

Tyler beamed before handing the ball to Jack. "Want to play basketball with me? Mama says that I've got a great shooting arm one me that I could be the next Michael Jordan", he leaned in closer to his grandfather and whispered, "But I think she's just saying that because I'm her son."

"Wow, Michael Jordan. That's a high praise."

"Yup." Tyler hesitantly tugged Jack's shirt, "Mama also said that you're a basketball coach. Papa too. He was teaching me how to po...pro…propley", he sent his mother a helpless look.

"Properly".

"Yeah, Papa was teaching how to properly make a jump shot yesterday."

"He's really good, Dad." Troy asserted, looking proud.

"Well, maybe I should see this for myself."

Tyler's blue eyes lighted up and he looked at Gabriella, asking for permission. In turn, she gives her approval. After packing a light lunch, the rest of the Bolton family headed out to the park. On the way, with the males walking in front of them, exuberantly talking about basketball, Linda pulled Gabriella into a quick hug and revealed, "Your mother would have been very proud, Gabi. Jack and I, and I'm sure Troy too, are proud of how you raised that little boy over there. I know it must have been hard…"

Gabriella closed her eyes against a rush of tears. "Oh, Linda, I'm so sorry for keeping him a secret all these years."

"There's nothing to apologize for." Linda replied while she smoothed Gabriella's hair. "Nothing at all."

That night, after Jack and Linda settled in the guest bedroom and tucking Tyler and Bubba into bed, Troy ushered Gabriella in her bedroom.

Ridding himself of his t-shirt, leaving him wearing only his boxers, he pulled the covers aside and made himself comfortable in the bed.

Gabriella took one good look at him and almost swallowed her tongue. Its not as if this was the first time she's seen him barely naked. In fact, she'd seen him in a lot less. A mat of hair covered his bulging pectorals, then tapered to a dark line that disappeared beneath the waistband of his shorts. Every inch of his body was perfection. Toned. And as far as she could tell, there wasn't an ounce of fat in his body, and basketball sure had a role in that. Oblivious to Gabriella's stare, Troy just patted the comforter and made room for Gabriella in the bed. While doing so, he said, "See, it wasn't so bad. They didn't hate you or anything."

"Yeah" came the tentative response.

His blue eyes traveled slowly over her. "What's wrong?"

Shaking away any more naughty thoughts, she shook her head. "I got a call from Sharpay today."

"And?"

"Taylor and Zeke are coming down here."

"When?"

She grimaced. "Tomorrow."

Beckoning her over to the bed, Gabriella climbed in, straight into Troy's protective arms. He moved a bit closer, closing any space left between them. "I know its overwhelming babe, with my parents and now the rest of the gang, but everything is going to be fine. I'll be right here. Do you think I'll ever let anyone hurt you again?"

She stifled a sob and tried to let go of her worries. "I love you, you know that right?"

He flashed a dazzling grin. "Heck yeah. Who wouldn't love this -"

Gabriella just rolled her eyes. "Just shut up and kiss me."

"I live to serve, milady". His handsome face drew closer, his blue eyes holding hers until his lips touched hers. And for the rest of the night, Gabriella forgot about Taylor, Zeke and Troy's parent. It just him and her, tangled up in bed, his bare skin on top of hers. And at that moment, it was all that mattered.

* * *

A deep gray afternoon heralded the end of the gang's unexpected visit in New York. For the Montez-Bolton family, the week passed by in a blur, filled with getting reacquainted with family and old friends. On the gang's last day, with Jack and Linda babysitting Tyler and Bubba, Sharpay and Ryan organized a little get-together for both sexes. Which is why Troy and Gabriella found themselves on the opposite ends of town, in a spa for Gabriella and a pub for Troy.

"Don't you guys have any work to get back to? You've abandoned your jobs for like a week now." Troy noted as he took a sip of his beer.

All three responded at the same time.

"I run my own business."

"My clients pretty much work around my schedule."

"I'm Chad Danforth."

At Chad's response, Ryan rolled his eyes. Zeke bowled over with laughter. And Troy just raised one eyebrow and sarcastically muttered, "Right, how could we ever forget."

"Beats me," Chad said with that oh-so cocky grin of his. "I've only been telling you guys about my greatness for the last twenty years."

"Like I said, how could we ever forget?" Troy said with a roll of his eyes.

"Well, enough about my greatness. Let's talk about our boy here," Chad stated as he took a glass of bourbon and raised it up, "To Troy, for finally becoming an overnight daddy and getting back together with the woman of his dreams."

Both Ryan and Zeke nodded. "We'll drink to that."

After drowning down a shot, Zeke asked, "So, speaking of Gabi and Tyler, where are they?"

"Tyler's with my parents," Troy answered, leaning against the bar, "and Gabi's with the girls doing god knows what."

"I bet you that they are getting their hair and makeup done", Zeke said.

"Nah, Gabi's not the type. Maybe their getting a manicure." Troy interjected.

Chad countered, "Taylor won't be up for that. She hates the smell of nail polish."

Ryan leaned forward and said, "They're at the spa. Sharpay recommended this guy, Joey or something, that," mimicking his sister's voice, "gives the most amazing massage, from like head to toe."

"They're getting pampered while we're getting smashed this early in the afternoon. Nice." Chad commented.

"You and Taylor huh?" Zeke questioned.

Chad replied dryly, "Shut up dude. There's nothing there."

"Nothing? Cause you guys looked pretty cozy yesterday during the picnic. So, getting back together with Tay?", Ryan added.

Chad just shrugged his shoulder and took another sip of his drink.

Out of the blue, Troy cried, "What do you mean a massage from head to toe?"

Startled, Ryan calmly explained to Troy about the full body massage that Sharpay had planned for the girls. At the mere mention of a guy masseuse laying his hands on Gabriella, Troy somewhat flew off the handle.

"It's not like she's fully naked, dude." Chad stated, trying to pacify Troy before smirking, "And relax, Joey's a girl."

"How'd you know?" Ryan asked.

"Because when I heard Joey, body massage and Taylor in one sentence, I confronted Tay and demanded that she ask for a different masseuse, one that is of the same gender. She slapped me, saying that I had no say in what she could and could not do. We argued. And let me tell you, make up sex is the best."

Elated at the fact that no man is touching Gabriella's body for the foreseeable future except for him, Troy smiled at Chad and congratulated him. "Finally, man. You guys have been skirting around the issue for awhile now."

"She was circling, I stood firm on my decision." Chad replied confidently.

With a snicker, Zeke interpreted, "Which means that she still hasn't agreed to move in with you. And if I can take a wild guess here, you're moving in with her instead."

Ryan laughed as they heard Chad grumble on the side, confirming Zeke's guess.

"You are so whipped." said Troy as he tried to contain his amusement.

"Says the man who recently went around New York at 1 in the morning trying to find an open Thai place just because he wanted to get back on the good graces of his girlfriend."

Troy exclaimed, trying to save face, "She's the mother of my son, okay. At least I have an excuse. And that recent spat with Gabi was because of you, asshole. If you didn't egg her on about Taylor, I wouldn't have to clean up after your mess."

"Whatever you say, man. Whatever you say."

* * *

Gabriella moaned in pleasure as Chelsea's expert hands dug into her lower back. Next to her, similar sounds of delight were heard from Sharpay and Taylor, attended by their own masseuses.

"Have I thanked you enough for planning this, Shar?" Gabriella said, following right immediately with another moan.

Sharpay laughed, but the sound was muffled by the massage table, before she lifted her head and said, "No, but you can keep the compliments coming."

Taylor groaned. "Would you please quiet down? The massage is suppose to be soothing and sensual experience. How can I relax with you guys harping?"

"Harping?" Gabriella said as she sent a questioning glance at Sharpay.

"Don't mind her, Gabriella. She's just annoyed that Chad won't give up the whole 'moving-in together' issue." Sharpay answered.

Finally lifting her head, Taylor glared at Sharpay. "For you information, we finally settled that. He's moving in with me," before returning to her previous position.

Sharpay nearly sputtered. "Chad is moving in with you? _Our_ Chad, the same one who got his head stuck in hole in the fence at Troy's backyard? Chad who devised the senior prank? The one who almost ran straight into -"

"Yes, _that_ Chad." Taylor stated.

At the playful banter between the two, Gabriella could only chuckle.

"Well ladies, time is up. Towels and robes are by the door." Joey, the head masseuse announced. "We hope you guys had a relaxing experience."

The three of them thanked their own masseuse before getting dressed. Fifteen minutes later, they headed to the nearest coffee shop, one that Gabriella often frequented. Holding their drinks, they picked a table outside, taking advantage of the change in gloomy weather, and settled into their seats.

"So, Chad is really moving in with you?" Sharpay asked for the umpteenth time that day.

With a roll of her eyes, Taylor responded, "Argh, for the last time, Shar, yes. What's the big deal?"

Gabriella and Sharpay share a glance. One that Taylor caught on to.

"Okay, what was that?", she asked.

Gabriella smiled and explained, "Its just that, this is Chad we're talking about. We just never pegged him to be so," she paused, trying to find the right word.

"Whipped." Sharpay supplied.

"Yeah, for the lack of better word, we just never pegged Chad to be so whipped." Gabriella finished.

Taylor took a sip of her coffee before laughing. "If you think Chad is whipped, what does that make Troy huh?"

Its Gabriella's turn to roll her eyes. "Troy, whipped, please."

Sharpay leaned back and agreed with Taylor's assessment. "Well, what do you call a man who goes out at 1 in the morning, trying to find a Thai place just because you decided to be devious and punish him for something his best friend did?"

Gabriella hesitantly answered, "Umm, I would call that a man in love."

"Or just plain whipped." Taylor ended.

"Oh gawd, she has _the_ look again." Sharpay remarked, directing her comment towards Taylor and plainly ignoring Gabriella.

Looking at them both, Gabriella cluelessly asked, "What look?"

Gabriella sat calmly, one hand on her coffee and the other unconsciously fiddling with the necklace around her neck, a simple silver ring attached to it. Smiling. Glowingly. Gloriously in love.

"_That_ look." Taylor blandly replied, pointing at Gabriella's face.

Frowning, Gabriella tried to mask her glow. "I don't have a look", she stubbornly stated.

Taylor scoffed. "Please, whenever anyone mentions Troy, you're already giddy and love struck. And I thought you guys were bad back in high school but you're so much worse now. I mean, when you aren't spending time with us or with family, you and Troy and ensconced in that bedroom of yours."

Sharpay nodded in agreement. "Its like PDA-galore with the two of you. I get that you guys are trying to catch up on the lost years but damn, all those longing and amorous gazes between the two of you are enough to make me puke."

Despite her denial, Gabriella knew exactly what "look" Taylor and Sharpay were talking about. She'd seen the sight in her mirror, every morning ever since Troy came back into her life. Sometimes she tried to mask it but she hadn't been able to find any expression capable of disguising her joy. These days, she couldn't stop smiling. She just couldn't help it. Not when she kept replaying Troy's declaration of love, the ultimate proposal, committing to memory every word, every nuance. Troy has always been very liberal when it comes to his "I love you". Even back in high school, he was never afraid to say it. But hearing him say it now was different. She knew that despite the six years that elapsed, she still loved him wholeheartedly. And evidently, he did too. And hearing him say those three magical words, after all this time, after all her transgressions, just made those words her everything, made it more important, more valuable.

"_So what do you think of this one?"_

_Surveying her surroundings, Gabriella can appreciate the beauty of the Upper East Side townhouse that Troy has brought her too. Exiting the foyer, to her left was the living room. To her right, the dining room. The expansive living room was a sight to behold, with its high ceilings, large repeating windows and wooden beams. Next to the living room was a small library, a small alcove lined with shelves and dark walnut paneling. An office with French doors opening to the back yard was adjacent to it. An entirely open main floor, the kitchen was off towards the back of the house, lots of cabinets with glass paneled windows and a double stainless steel stove. In the middle of the kitchen, there was an island, covered with a marble countertop. To the side, with a view overlooking the back yard was a tiny breakfast nook. A laundry room, a downstairs bathroom and a family den completed the first floor._

"_Well, it is certainly a beauty. But isn't it a bit too big for Gerard and Tina?" Gabriella answered, trailing her fingertips on the exquisite mantle piece that framed the fireplace. _

_Behind her, Troy could only stare. Her lips continued to move, talking more about the house. He tried to listen but his mind refused to cooperate. Its had frozen - seized - on one vital undeniable fact. _

_He wanted to marry her, wanted her as his wife. Its been a dream, a need that he's had since he was eighteen. He knew she was the one. And standing in this townhouse that he has already bought for them, unbeknownst to Gabriella of course, he's suddenly gripped with the reality that he wanted, needed to marry her now. _

_A minute ago, he hadn't had a clue. Sure, he was planning on proposing but not now, not when they've only been together for a mere week. Ten minutes ago, he was just planning on moving in with her, and then moving them to the home he just bought. An hour ago, he was still planning on taking things between them slow, as he'd promised to her that fateful night they got back together. But now, he simply knew, with an absolute, unwavering certainty, what he needed. _

_Troy refocused on her, truly let himself look at her. In a distance, he could hear his son laughing, obviously playing catch or some sort of game with Bubba. A quick glance at the window confirmed his guess. Tyler, along with the dog, was running around the backyard, one hold holding his ball. _

" _- and didn't Gerard only ask for a two bedroom loft -"_

_Ebony curls that framed her face. Rosebud lips. Hazel brown eyes that captivated him to the core. Skin like the richest cream and a sensual figure that could make any man's heart skip a beat. _

" _- the last one we saw seemed to fit perfectly with his requests…" _

_Gabriella halted, sensing Troy's preoccupation. She turned and looked quizzically at him. "Well?"_

_Her tone jerked him back to reality. She'd folded his arms. And she was looking at him, frowning. Gabriella's eyes narrowed. "Are you even listening to me, Troy?"_

_Said man met her gaze and slowly walked towards her. He then raised one hand that lightly traced her jaw, tipped up her face. Troy fixed his steady gaze on hers. _

"_Marry me."_

_Wariness stole into Gabriella's eyes. And then unexpectedly, she sputtered and tried to make light of Troy's sudden and very spontaneous proposal. "Are you drunk?"_

_He ignored Gabriella's question and stated, _"_Marry me." _

_She opened her mouth and then closed it. Gabriella tried to find the rights words. "I thought you wanted to take things slow," she reminded him._

"_Marry me…" his smile deepened and he repeated, "Marry me right now."_

_Gabriella stared at him. For one moment, she was completely at loss, half expecting him to laugh and say that his proposal was just a joke. But one look into his lucent blue eyes and Gabriella knew that he was dead serious. _

"_Marry you, right now?" He nodded. She sent him a confused look, "You wanna elope?"_

"_Why not? We've waited long enough." He answered._

"_We barely got together a week ago."_

_A brow raised. "I've wanted to marry you since I was just eighteen, Gabriella." _

"_Exactly. That was six years ago, Troy. What if, in a few months, you'll realize that I'm not the same girl you fell in love with? Six years is a long time. You've changed. I've changed."_

"_I only need a minute with you to know that you're still the same girl who stole my heart when I first heard you sing." _

_Trying to formulate another argument and coming up with nothing, Gabriella focused and tried another tack. _

"_Troy, what about your parents?"_

_Again, an infuriating brow was raised. "You're not marrying them. You're marrying me," he countered. Troy slight moved away from Gabriella and leaned on the wall. "You got all your arguments out of your system?"_

_She smiled. "Your parents are not going to be happy." _

"_They'll get over it." A heartbeat later, he stood in front of her, his strength flowed around her, surrounded her. "Incidentally," he murmured sensually, cool hard lips brushed her ear, then slid lower to caress her jaw, "they'll be happy to know that Tyler won't be a bastard anymore."_

"_Troy!", Gabriella exclaimed, shocked at hearing her son called a bastard. _

_Troy tipped her chin up, his lips touched hers in a fleeting, achingly incomplete kiss. _

"_Why'd you stop?" she asked, breathless, incoherent. _

_Another quick kiss before he answered. "Your son's coming."_

_Tyler's footsteps sounded in the hall, followed by Bubba's bark. _

_Gabriella opened her eyes to see Troy slid something in her ring finger, a simple yet delicate ring with a round shaped diamond in the center. _

"_Its not much," touching the ring on Gabriella's finger, "but back then, it's one of the few rings that I could afford." _

_To say that Gabriella was stunned by Troy's confession was an understatement. "You kept this ring all this time?" _

_He gave a nonchalant shrug. "You were **it** for me." _

_Gabriella held back the tears. Why was she crying? The man she loved just proposed to her. And she said yes. _

"_Las Vegas." _

_This time, it is Troy who's left confused. "What?"_

"_Let's get married. In Vegas." _

"Great, we've lost her again," an exasperated Sharpay remarked.

Jolted out from her reverie, Gabriella could only muster an unintelligent, "huh" in response. Unconsciously, she touched her ring.

"And I think we're about to lose her again."

Gabriella turned around, trying to see what prompted Taylor's comment. And saw Troy, walking confidently up to her. She beamed.

Taylor and Sharpay sighed and looked at each other in resignation.

"What are you", Chad coughed, signaling the presence of the rest of them, "guys doing here?" Gabriella asked.

Troy pulled up a seat next to her. At the corner of his eye, he saw the others doing the same. "Well, we figured coffee was a safe bet in trying to make us sober."

Gabriella made a face. Taylor and Sharpay made similar expressions.

"Are you telling me you guys spent your Guy's Day getting drunk this early in the day?" Taylor commented.

Chad snorted. "What did you imagine we were going to do? Get our hair done? A massage perhaps? Woman -" he received a slap in the arm for that, to which he amended with, "Tay, men like us, do men things."

"You are such a chauvinistic pig."

Unfazed by Taylor's insult, Chad only rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, you've just about said that a million times to me."

His comment prompted the whole gang to laugh. The topic of conversation drifted away from Chad's chauvinistic tendencies and to more job related stuff. From Sharpay's work in Broaway. Zeke's growing business. Chad's booming career. Ryan's budding clientele. Taylor's studies.

But for Troy and Gabriella, their attention was just on each other. Around Troy's neck, Gabriella smiled at seeing the glittering ring attacked to a silver necklace.

"I love you", she murmured.

He repeated those three words at her. And she felt them resonate in her heart. Intertwined, Troy gave Gabriella's hand a soft kiss.

Beside them, Chad lightly stated, "Get a room." An instant later, a resounding slap from both side was heard. One from each of the woman sitting next to him.

Troy and Gabriella could only smile. He met her gaze, then he looked at her lips; his quirked. Before he bent his head and kissed her. Chad groaned.

They needed no words. Everything that was needed to be said was already laid out on the table. Their past may be tainted with hurt and pain, betrayal and mistakes but their future willed be filled with love, laughter and happiness. In that moment, he made a vow to her, to do everything in his power to turn each and everyone of her fantasies into reality. A normal life with their son…that had been her dream. To be a part of a family that wasn't broken. To have a husband who was there for her and will never abandon her. To be accepted for who she is, faults, baggage and all. To be loved.

Breaking the kiss, Troy stood up, bid their friends goodbye and led Gabriella out of the coffee shop. He glanced up the tree-lined street that led to their new house, then returned his gaze to her angelic face.

"We're going home."

As he said the words, a feeling of wholeness and peace enveloped him, one that hadn't felt in years. Home, where their son was. Where their future awaited them. The breeze caught her hair, covering half of her face. She laughed and she let her head fall back, her expression blissful. An expression that he was sure is mirrored in his own face. He took her in his arms, right in the middle of the sidewalk and kissed her. A sweet, tentative kiss that soon turned deep and fervent. Gabrielld curled her arms around his neck and went up on her tiptoes, accepting what she'd known all these years - that she belonged exactly where she was. In his arms.

* * *

Reviews are much appreciated.


	11. Epilogue

_AN:_ And this story has finally come to an end. My first ever short story, its sad to think that its over. This is also the first time I incorporated a song into the chapter and although I'm not a big fan of the song I used, I think the lyrics and meaning fits perfectly for our couple.

I started this story, naively thinking that I can finish it in a month or two. Boy was a wrong big time. At that time, the writing bug bit me and for a while there, I was writing like crazy. And then my fascination for anything HSM and Zanessa dwindled and so did my inspiration for continuing on writing this story of mine. Having said that, it may have taken me more than six months to finish this, but I'm glad that it turned how I imagined it would. I'm glad that I didn't rush a chapter or update with a mediocre chapter that I wasn't proud of. And I may have taken my time, which frustrated the lot of you, I'm sure, and I'm sorry for that but truly, I'm not a writer. I don't consider myself one. Which in a lot of ways seems like a contradiction but even as I prepare to start another story, I still don't see myself as a writer. Writing doesn't come easily to me unlike other FF writers out there that can write chapters in a mere hour or two. As seen with my update patterns, it sometimes took me weeks, months even. I just think I have very good grammar and I happen to piece together words and end up with a story that makes sense. Haha.

This should answer the question that I've received regarding if Troy and Gabriella actually got married. A little fun fact, all chapter titles are from Dashboard Confessional songs.

Enjoy.

_Disclaimer: _I own nothing, not the HSM franchise or Stephen Bishop's _All My Life (It Might Be You)_.

* * *

_Time...  
I've been passing time watching trains go by  
All of my life...  
Lying on the sand, watching seabirds fly  
Wishing there would be  
Someone waiting home for me..._

**Epilogue**

__

In life and in love, there are memories so beautiful you do no mind playing them out in your mind regularly, quiet and humdrum ones that are triggered by a mere touch, a glance or riveting ones that seem to always be in the forefront of our minds. And then, there are those memories that we wish never came to be. Memories that upon recollection are so distressing that it falls under a blanket of pain, repressed and tucked away in the far recesses of our minds. The passage of time can dull the ache the memory brings but it can never fully erase the pain, the heartache. Time can heal all wounds, or so they say. But any memory, however painful can never be forgotten. The pain of leaving a loved one is still raw, a tangible memory that even time cannot completely erase. Despite the time that has elapsed, the sorrow of knowing that you have hurt someone is and will always be fresh in your mind.

Leaving Troy, leaving my mother, taking Tyler away from his father, in my short time here on earth, I have enough regrets and mistakes to last me a lifetime. For a time, I tried so hard to forget, to lock all those mistakes and heartrending memories in a box and throw away the key. But this can only lead to futility and frustration because it simply succeeded in making me remember the things that I was trying to forget in the first place. So, in time, I learned, through trial and error, that to move one, one has to make peace with the past, accept the mistakes holding you down, embrace the good - and the bad. I once read that while it is true that the past, to a certain extent, shapes your present and your future, it does not completely affect unless you allow it to. There is a banal wisdom in moving one day at a time. Always that is easier said that done but without pain, one can't fully grow, mature. With all the mistakes I've made, I've learned that there is always a piece of wisdom, an understanding that contributes to my growth as a person. I may regret whatever happened with Troy but I can never regret the birth of my son. I may regret leaving him and my mother but I can never regret the life lessons that the particular mistake imparted in me. People always say that behind every gray cloud, there is always a silver lining. And I think I've finally found mine…

Gabriella Bolton

**Six months later…**

"I am going to kill you."

"Now, man, take it easy. She wouldn't be too happy -"

"You _think_? You fucking loss the goddamn -" Troy cried, obviously infuriated with his best friend.

"Guys?" Ryan shrieked, interrupting Troy's rant and trying to break up the tension in the room.

But Troy could not be deterred. "Why did I even give it to you? She is going to kill me."

Hoping to gain Chad's and Troy's attention, Ryan tried again. "Guys?!"

Troy continued on ranting, "Of all the stupidest things you could have done, you just had to lose it."

Patting the left hand side of his jacket, Chad explained, "Troy, it was right _here_."

"_Was_ being the operative word," Troy growled.

Chad winced at the reminder.

"Guys?!" This time, Ryan shouted, only to get an angry retort from both guys.

"Did you check if Tyler has it?" Ryan calmly asked.

"My son doesn't have it. This asshole here," pointing glaringly at Chad, "was suppose to give it to Tyler but he fucking lost it, thirty minutes before the wedding is suppose to start."

"I told you Troy, I put it right _here_." tapping the left side of his jack, Chad asserted.

Looking at a disgruntled Troy and worried Chad, Ryan inquired, "Are you sure you put it in the left side?"

Chad explained that his jacket only had one inside pocket and went ahead in proving his statement by taking off his jacket, only to realize that there were indeed to pockets.

"Oops. Sorry, dude" Chad said sheepishly.

Annoyed at the unnecessary worry that Chad has put him through, Troy came charging at Chad but held back by Ryan mere inches before the groom could actually get his hands on his best friend.

"Relax, Troy. I don't think Gabi would be happy to see a black eye on the groom and the best man. This is suppose to be the happiest day of your life. Relax." said Jack, coming just in time to see the scuffle between his son and Chad.

Moving away, Troy straightened up his jacket and mumbled, "I knew we should just have eloped."

"_Now boarding Flight772 to Las Vegas in Terminal 6. Flight 772 to Las Vegas in Terminal 6."_

"_That's us." Gabriella murmured as she tightened her grip on Troy's arm. _

_Looking at his fiancé, Troy gave her a reassuring smile. "You ready?"_

_Instead of answering his question, Gabriella just kept looking at him._ At him_. Troy returned his gaze to the where they were suppose to be headed, Terminal 6. "You think it's a mistake, don't you?"_

"_No!" she cried. Shaking her head, "I _do_ want to marry you. Its all I ever wanted. But what about your parents? Our friends? And don't you think our son would like to see his parents get married?" _

_Troy was looking at her oddly - almost speculatively. Before a mischievous gleam settled into his eyes. "For a moment, it felt nice. To actually elope, leave all responsibilities behind. To just act on your instincts and run off to get married." _

_Gabriella smiled. "So we're still going to do this?"_

"_Why not, the extravagant wedding, the works. You deserve to have the wedding of your dreams, surrounded by family and friends. Not a quickie one in Vegas with Elvis as the priest." _

_Both laughed at the image. "But you do have to admit, it would have been a great story to tell." Gabriella said before intertwining their hands. "Ready to go home?"_

_Troy nodded and led them out of the airport. "Do you think we could get refund for these tickets?"_

Jack exclaimed, jolting Troy out of his thoughts. "Shut your mouth, boy. Elope?! I would never hear the end of it from your mother."

"Well, better you than me, Dad." Troy said, laughing.

Jack rolled his eyes.

A knock interrupted the banter between father and son.

Without waiting for a "Come in", Sharpay waltzed right in, with her usual flamboyant gestures, dressed in the two-toned gown that Gabriella picked. With one hand on the doorknob, she looked at everyone in the room and asked if they had seen Tyler and Matt. All of them shook their heads.

She dramatically sighed before asking them about the rings. Chad then elaborated about the commotion that happened minutes before she got there. As expected, even when the rings have been found, Sharpay went on a rant about men's lack of responsibility. Chad, always eager for fight, jumped right in the fray, defending his side. Before long, everyone, minus Troy, got involved in the melee, with Ryan and Jack trying to break up the fight.

Unbeknowst to the occupants of the room, the groom slipped out in the middle of all the hubbub and headed to meet his bride.

* * *

_Looking back  
as lovers go walking past...  
Wondering how they met and what makes it last  
If I found the place  
Would I recognize the face?_

"Need any help with that?"

Swallowing a scream, Gabriella turned around from her position in front of the mirror and looked gallingly at Troy.

In a classically masculine stance, he stood with this hands resting loosely at his hips, one knee slightly bent, his broad shoulders relaxed. He wore a black tuxedo, his jacket unbuttoned, showcasing his three-button waistcoat, looking achingly good to her hungry eyes - long, powerfully muscled legs sheathed in his trousers. His sandy brown hair fell in tousled waves over his forehead. And when she looked into this blue yes, every rational thought, any angry outburst in her head disappeared.

"The groom shouldn't see the bride before the wedding," she managed to say. Her heart oddly lurched in her chest. "It's bad luck."

He rested an arm against the door, leaning casually on the door frame before closing and locking it. "When did we ever adhere to the rules?" His gaze warmed hers. "We already did everything backwards. In olden times, marriage came first before the baby."

Gabriella smirked. "Your mother is going to have a fit if she catches you here."

"Well, she's not here is she? And I doubt you'll say anything." Troy flashed her a slow, crooked grin that made her feel as if her knees have turned into nothing but jelly. She was dressed in a simple yet elegant strapless gown. The bodice of the dress was accentuated by pearls and intricate embroidery that added sparkle to the otherwise plain dress. Around her neck adorned Maria's old pearls, the only jewelry, aside from her ring, that she has put on. "You look beautiful." He said as his eyes traveled down, taking every inch, every curve into memory.

Tugging nervously on the folds of her wedding gown, Gabriella released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

"So, you still up for marrying me?" he asked.

Purposely taking her time to answer, Gabriella pretended to mull over Troy's question. "I don't know," he eyes danced with amusement as she continued, "Come to think of it, I've only truly been with _one_ man. How do I know that you're the one? Small fish, big pond, you know."

"Ah, but you see, I'm the only one that can make you scream -" he said but was interrupted by a knock on the door. Troy hurriedly hid behind in one of the partitions in the room while Gabriella answered the door. She was greeted by their wedding planner Jean, toting along her trusty beeper, earpiece and a bag full of wedding emergency goodies. Jean smiled at seeing Gabriella already garbed out in her wedding attire.

"Just making sure that you haven't pulled a Maggie Carpenter on me. I'm heading off to make some last minute checkups. I just wanted to tell you that the wedding is on in fifteen minutes. I'll be back by then." said, Jean before heading back to the door.

"Thanks, Jean."

Jean opened the door and went out into the hallway, but not before looking back and saying, "Oh, and tell Troy to get back in his suite before his mother finds him and the rest of the group thinks that he got cold feet and bailed out on his own wedding."

From his position, Troy smiled and poked his head out. "Hi, Jean."

Jean rolled her eyes. "You guys have a wedding to get to. Ten minutes so don't do anything that is going to take longer than that," she cautioned before fully closing the door.

Shocked at Jean's suggestion, Gabriella could only gape at their wedding planner. Troy could only laugh.

"You heard the lady, so no sexual favors until after the reception."

"Troy!?"

Said man stepped out from behind the partition, grinning boyishly, making him seem younger before his expression grew serious. "So, you ready for this?"

Gabriella stared thoughtfully at him. "I've been ready since the first moment you proposed."

Troy paused, then slowly, with deliberate strides, walked to her. Gabriella straightened as he neared. His gaze on her face, he reached and took her hand. She met his gaze, smiled at the emotions she saw in his eyes and kissed him.

He kissed her back, willing himself to take control, to restrain his ravening emotions that wished to hungrily devour her, to savor, to taste, to explore what is his. Her hand on his shoulder gripped as he deepened the kiss. A moan slipped out of her lips as he raised his hands and closed them on her sides, his fingers flexing over her bare back, feeling her body between his hands once again. Her hands were not idle either. Her hands skated over his chest, gripping his waistcoat, surely leaving behind wrinkles.

A gasp was heard.

The two broke apart and slowly, cautiously turned. To find Linda and Taylor looking on, indignant and rightfully piqued.

Linda drew in a tight breath before exploding. "Troy Jonathan Bolton, what are you doing here?"

Clueless and unsure of what excuse to give, Troy said nothing and simply watched his mother seethe in anger.

Taking in Gabriella's disheveled appearance, Taylor shot Troy a furious look, took her best friend's arms and led her in front of the vanity to start righting what Troy's hands had messed up.

Linda continued chastising her son, her voice gaining volume with each word, "Have I taught you nothing? Its bad luck for the groom to see the bride. You _knew_ that and yet here you are, interrupting Gabriella…"

"She kissed me first." Troy muttered, all the while looking at Gabriella.

With an unladylike growl, Linda choked. "What did you say?"

Taking a hesitant step towards the door, Troy apologized before running for the door.

Seeing Troy's reaction to his angry mother, Gabriella mouthed to Troy, "Coward."

His hand on the doorknob, he courageously glanced back at his mother before looking at Gabriella who was grinning in amusement, raised on hand and smiled. "I'll see you at the altar."

With that, he saluted his mother then turned and walked, or more like ran, straight back to his suite.

* * *

_So many quiet walks to take  
So many dreams to wake  
And we've so much love to make_

At noon that day in the San Felipe de Neri Church in Old Town Albuquerque, Gabriella Montez became Gabriella Bolton.

As the first strings of the bridal chorus sounded, enveloping the church and signaling the bride's entrance, Tyler beamed looking like a miniature Troy in his tux, standing proudly next to his father. And when the door opened to reveal Gabriella, looking radiant and all his, Troy felt a daze of happiness, a very comfortable feeling, settled in.

Eyes locked with Troy as he waited patiently for her on the steps before the altar, Gabriella literally felt like she was walking on air. Reaching up the steps, she gave her hand to Troy and stepped up to stand by his side.

Hands intertwined, they turned and faced the priest.

Beyond seeing Troy and their son on the side, Gabriella felt like the wedding passed by in blur. On her way to the altar, she took in their surroundings, the wedding guests that packed the church, their family, their friends. But the rest of her, her full awareness was focused on the ceremony, on the vow she made to Troy, and the one he made in return, fueled by the certainty that he loved her as much as she loved him. When he placed the wedding band on her finger, Gabriella was in bliss. When the priest announced, "You may kiss the bride", Troy and Gabriella eagerly obliged, sharing a kiss, one that lasted longer that it should have.

"There are children in the room." Chad coughed.

They broke the kiss, hearing the laughter that erupted after Chad's interruption. And when their eyes opened and met, for that single moment, it was just him and her - and the future that lay ahead of them. As one, they turned and welcomed their son in their arms. Arm in arm, with Tyler between them, Troy and Gabriella walked down the aisle, accepting the congratulations and well wishes that came from the crowd.

Stepping out in the church, Troy looked down on his wife, smiling as she lifted her face to the sunshine. A warm glow suffused him and he knew that their 'happily-ever-after' was just starting. As he led her into the awaiting limousine, he felt her fingers quiver in his, he caught her eyes and murmured, "Is this everything you wanted and more?"

"So much more. It was absolutely perfect." Gabriella held his gaze, blushed and her smile deepened.

She scanned the area for her son and unconsciously touched her stomach. One touch that did not go unnoticed by her husband. Saving the questions for later, he smiled, brushed back her hair and cradled her hand before signaling towards the car in front of them.

Kissing her forehead, Troy whispered in her hair, "It was wasn't it? The perfect way to start the rest of our lives."

_I've been saving love songs and lullabies  
And there's so much more  
No one's ever heard before..._

_Something's telling me it might be you  
Yeah, it's telling me it must be you  
And I'm feeling it'll just be you  
All of my life..._

_It's you...  
I've been waiting for  
all of my life..._

_

* * *

_

As usual, reviews are much appreciated.

And tada, its done.

To the readers who have stuck with me throughout this whole time, thank you. I hope you enjoyed Ghost of a Good Thing.

**Big thanks:**

…**to the following people who reviewed**: emmalouisexx, avaa005, DuMbBlOnDe2010, xjustxbeingxme, 1800hsmaddict, Miss Capgirl, greentopak, nchapps, blokkasup, Lil-Evans, fudge2428, SilenceEverything, hana V, italianvballgirl, Shocker26, kathyt222, AimeeLouisaMai-x, Starlover88, superamali, oywiththepoodles4, ibelieveintruelove, DazzledbyEdward123, HSMandChelseaFCFan, Mz.BilliejoeArmstrong, missefron15, the road to damascus, Line 101, Kelly6231, tutorgirl86, Lilsami69, Desiree Lemmon, mars.x,

…**to the people who have put this story in their Favorites: **-MJmont-, 1800hsmaddict, AimeeLouisaMai-x, AmyE, Anya2Demitri, Apathetic Andrea, Babyashley16,BrilliantDisguise725,DuMbBlOnDe2010, HSMandChelseaFCfan, ILuvZaccy55, Laylora, Line 101, LuckyHumbug, Miss Capgirl, QTLuv93, Shocker26, Starlover88, TheNewKidd., ZanessaLover1618, avaa005, blokkasup, cadenceanna, crazygirlrocks, ella is lovexo, fudge2428, greentopak, higuma, italianvballgirl, katie825, leimane, lucero103, mccrocm, missefron15, sd freek, superamali, sweetmoonlight, wildcat hoops ghirl, zanessa14

…**to the people who put this story in their FF alerts**: 1800hsmaddict, 1Doctor, AimeeLouisaMai-x, Amalta, Apathetic Andrea, ArsenalFan, BrilliantDisguise725, Cloey001 9,DuMbBlOnDe2010, HSMLoverAlways, HSMandChelseaFCfan, HannahBanana104, Hockeyhunni26, ILuvZaccy55, InvisibleA, JessieMessie1, Kelly6231, Laylora, Lil-Evans, Lily-Sun, Miss Capgirl, Mz.BilliejoeArmstrong, Principesa Potter, QTLuv93, SilenceEverything, VanessaHudgensZanessa612, Zoinks23, blokkasup, bokayjunkie, choc-sundaes, crazygirlrocks, dixiegirl, hana V, ibelieveintruelove, jhebert19, k3l-4-d0m, kittykat0301, littlemissgloom, loveisepic, mccrocm, missefron15, sd freek, shalomgirl, spudnik76, superamali, the road to damascus, tutorgirl86, vona1212, xjustxbeingxmex, xo LAILAIxo, xoambieeox, zanessa14

...without you guys, I would have abandoned this story along time ago when my interest in HSM went away. **THANK YOU**! Every review, every critique, every PM meant the world to me.


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